


Blood & Bylines

by kilojulietsierra



Series: All My Friends Are Heathens [1]
Category: Bright (2017)
Genre: Action, Eventual Smut, F/M, Journalist Reader, Kidnapping, Racism, Reader-Insert, Romance, Violence, fogteeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-22 04:50:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13756686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kilojulietsierra/pseuds/kilojulietsierra
Summary: Months after the wand incident things start to change for Jakoby, in ways he never expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've written some fanfic before but had no idea Character x Reader was even a thing! So I decided to try it out with one of my newest movie obsessions! First time posting to this site so bear with me while I try to figure things out! - KJS

Chapter One

“This place gives me the fuckin’ creeps.”

You rolled your eyes as your coworker pulled the car closer to the checkpoint, “It’s a police station Rob.”

“Yeah, well it looks like the last military base in a bad apocalypse movie.”

As you looked around you thought to yourself that he wasn’t wrong. At the guard shack he stopped the car and rolled down the window. It was hard not to flinch at the gun barrels pointed your way but you both just handed over your ID’s and followed the officers directions to the civilian parking lot.

Rob hit the lock button twice as you headed towards the entrance, him with his camera bag on one shoulder had already drawn attention from cops stationed inside the door. “Smile Rob, looks like you’re about to get strip searched.”

The look on his face said he was unimpressed. You didn’t mind, you knew your sense of humor didn’t appeal to everyone.

As soon as you stepped through the doors you were each grabbed roughly and pulled aside to be patted down. A few feet away Rob groaned as two officers ripped through his camera gear. When your pat down came up with only a cell phone and your wallet you were sent through the metal detector. Once you were cleared you collected your things and waited.

When Rob joined you several minutes later he was still mid complaint.

“Let it go dude, c’mon.” You walked to the front desk, phone in hand, “Excuse me ma’am, we’re here to interview one of your officers. Nicholas Jakoby.” 

She rolled her eyes a little, did not even bother to hide it, and then gave you directions to the squad room.

Jakoby was easy enough to spot, you grit your teeth as you realize that sounded a little racist when you thought it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t true. He walked across the squad room with a shotgun in one hand and his eyes cast down slightly.

“Officer Jakoby?”

He looked your way, grim and passive.

“Officer Jakoby, my name is [your name] from the LA Times, this is my photographer Robert Morales. We’re here for that interview.”

Officer Jakoby looked confused, his ears twitched once as he looked around the empty room full of empty desks “I’m sorry ma’am but uh… what interview?”

You exchanged a look with Rob, “I made an appointment with your sargeant for an interview with you.” The sentence tapered off at the end and it hung in the air between the three of you.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t know about any interview.” Officer Jakoby became obviously flustered as he switched the shotgun from one hand to the other and looked around like he hoped there would be somebody else to offer clarification.

Right on time an officer you recognized as Daryl Ward, walked into the squad room, “Jakoby, move your ass let’s go!” When the taller officer noticed you and your coworker he faltered a bit, straightened his posture and spoke again, “Can I help you folks?”

You exchange another quick glance with Rob before you repeated your reason for the visit, “I called earlier this week to set up an interview with officer Jakoby here, for the Times. He says he didn’t know anything about it.”

Ward looked at Jakoby who just shrugged, “Yeah… we don’t know nothin’ about that. Sorry. But, we got a tour so we gotta go.” He smacked his partner on the chest and nodded towards a door to the right.

Jakoby followed after Ward and as he passed you he offered a tight lipped smile and whispered, “Sorry.”

As you stood and watched them walk out the double doors towards what you assumed was the garage you couldn’t help but growl. Then you had a thought, “Wait!”

They both stopped in the middle of the doorway and turned back to look at you.

“How about a ride along?” Behind you Rob made a disgruntled sound but you ignored him. You kept your focus on Ward and Jakoby. If you didn’t know better you would have thought that Jakoby looked almost hopeful. Ward did not.

“Ya, sorry, you gotta run that by the higher ups.” He pushed his partner further out the door, “We’ll uh, be out here if you get that approved though.”

As soon as the door slammed behind them you spun back to Rob who saw the look on your face and recognized it all too well, “Oh no, absolutely not! We are not doing this!”

The snarky smile you let slip stopped him mid disagreement. “Who said anything ‘bout ‘we’?” Just like that you took off back through the halls, eyes bounced from name plate to name plate on office doors until you found the one you wanted. “Evening Captain, ]your full name] with the LA Times. I believe we spoke earlier this week about an interview with officer Jakoby.” You bullied on without giving her a chance to speak. “I’m sorry to say this but it seems some wires must’ve gotten crossed as that appointment was scheduled for right now and Officers Ward and Jakoby are on their way out for their patrol.” The annoyed look on the captains face just inspired you even more. “I’m sure you understand how important my project is for the department. The first Orc officer receiving a distinguished medal and then less than six months later two new Orc recruits accepted into the academy… Well, like I said it’s an important project and I am on a deadline.”

The captain stared you down but you did not weaken. She sighed, “And what is it that you want exactly?”

Without hesitation, “A ride along. Tonight. With officers Ward and Jakoby.”

“Absolutely not.”

You were ready for this and without thought to the risk of being shot for the sudden movement you reached into your button down shirt, into your bra and withdrew a wad of cash. You returned the Captain’s stare as you dropped the cash on her desk.

Outside the door you heard Rob groan and mumble, “Oh my God.”

The staredown continued for several seconds until the Captain sighed and reached into one of her desk drawers to retrieve a consent form. “Sign this. If you get shot it’s not our problem.”

As soon as you finished your signature she snatched the cash and the consent form from in front of you. Her hostility did not bother you at all, “Thank you very much.” As soon as you left the office you winked and waved at Rob, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“You have got to be kidding me.” Ward groaned as soon as he saw you through the patrol trucks windshield.

Jakoby smiled, but kept it small, “That’s that reporter lady.”

“Yes Nick, I can see that.”

Jakoby pulled up next to you and rolled his window down, “Hello again Miss [your name].”

“Officer Jakoby. Officer Ward. Looks like I’m ridin’ with you guys tonight.” You rubbed your hands up and down the rough nylon cover of the kevlar vest one of the other officers had loaned you, a smug smile on your face. 

Ward groaned again, “You have go to be shitting me.” When he looked back at you and saw the grin set firmly on your face he shook his head, “Get your ass in the car, you’re ridin’ in the back seat”

Jakoby let a real grin escape as he hit the unlock button on the door to let you crawl into the backseat and slam the door behind you, “No worries, not the first time I’ve been in the back of a cop car.”

Your chuckle made Jakoby laugh as well, though he cleared his throat and quieted down as he slipped his sunglasses on.

The first few hours of the patrol was really rather dull, but that gave you the chance to ask all the ‘boring’ questions and get them out of the way. While your piece was mainly focuesd on Orcs in the police force, the good, the bad and the ugly, you just couldn’t help your morbid curiosity. The whole town knew there had been a wand found, and at least one bright, but nobody talked about it. Officially it never happened. The story had been marked with a big, red, stamp that said, ‘off limits’ but that wouldn’t stop you. It wouldn’t stop any reporter. You were just the one smart enough to end up in the cruiser with two of the cops that had been involved. Allegedly involved, that is.

You scrolled through the notes on your phone, fleshed out a couple of thoughts in response to the answers Jakoby had given about his experience as the first Orcish police officer. He was deceivingly intelligent once he got past the shyness and insecurity. Just when you were ready to ask your first, indirect, wand related question a call came over the radio.

“Westlake Units, multiple 10-90s at Mesa and Tejas. Repeat, multiple 10-90s reported at corner of Mesa and Tejas.”

Ward grabbed the mic out of the cradle and responded they were en route.

“10-90, what’s that?” You made a mental note to get better acquainted with law enforcement 10 codes.

“Suspicious persons.” Jakoby said over his shoulder as he switched on the blinker and made a right turn.

“Probably just a couple Fogteeth boys making babies cry or some shit.”

You gritted your teeth a little and noticed Officer Jakoby do the same.

“Sure, Orcs are always the bad guys.” He grumbled.

Ward shifted in the passenger seat, “Oh, what? You wanna bet? I bet you twenty bucks we’re gonna roll up on some of your new home boys scarin’ the shit outta some ole lady.”

His partner just grunted and focused his eyes on the street in front of him. Not long later they rounded another street corner and saw the cause for the call. “C’mon…it’s just a bunch of kids.”

He was not wrong. A group of teenage orcs stood around an apartment building stoop. As the truck pulled up next to the group Ward rolled the window down, “Afternoon gentleman, how’s your day going? Staying out of trouble?“

The orc boys exchanged glances amongst themselves. A few stood up straighter and one even took a couple steps closer to the cruiser. “There a problem officer?” It wasn’t a straight up threat but the tone certainly conveyed a message.

You couldn’t help but slide across the seat to get a better look. Your movement caused both Jakoby and the closest teenage orc to look at you. When the unmistakable look of recognition spread across the boys face you cursed internally and averted your gaze. As you looked to your phone you caught Jakoby mid stare, he’d seen the look on the boys face too.

Ward eyed the group of boys up for a moment, gave them his best cop stare. “Get your asses back to school, or at the very least go stand on some other fuckin’ street. Hear me?”

There was a murmur through the group, something said in Orcish that resulted in a fair bit of laughter. You chuckled as well, under your breath. Imagine what officer Ward would think if he spoke the languish. You risked a glance at Wards partner and found he too had to clench his jaw to swallow a chuckle.

In front of you you could just imagine the look on officer Wards face as he stared down the hooligans. A couple moments passed before the bunch of them mumbled in Orcish some more and took off down the sidewalk. Ward radioed in a rather sarcastic all clear and while he did so you risked a look at Jakoby.

Nick looked right back at you with a look you could not label for certain.

~~~~~

The rest of the shift passed about the same, several calls but none that you’d consider worth the front page, or even the first five pages for that matter. Not that it did matter, the ride along had given you the opportunity you had needed to talk with officer Jakoby.

By the time you returned to your apartment the sun was almost ready to come up and so instead of bed and sleep you made a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen counter with your laptop. You had done the interview with your phone so you poured yourself the first cup of coffee while you waited for the devices to sync. As you sat and read over your notes you sipped coffee and let your mind wander. You added in the insights you had gathered during your talk to Jakoby, the story wasn't about him but he was still a crucial piece of the puzzle. After what had happened with the Shield of Light throw down everyone, even those that didn't like Orcs or believe that they belonged on the police force, wanted to know more about Nicholas Jakoby. He had literally overnight became ten ties more important. So much so, that two young Orcs decided to join the police academy.

When you interviewed the young recruits neither of them had even met Jakoby, but he still had enough of an impact to change their plans for their own futures.

You found it interesting. You found him interesting.

You had your rough draft ready to go before most people were ready to go to work that morning. After you sent it off to your editor you opened up the papers website to catch up. After all to be a writer you also had to be a reader.

The first story that caught your eye was one written by one of your coworkers in the crime and investigation department. “You dirty little dick licker.”

Not all Los Angeles residents had changed their views on Jakoby. Proof of this was the article in front of you that claimed Jakoby, now a blooded member of a clan, was and had always been a plant by the clan to infiltrate the police force. 

You grumbled a few more choice words before you slapped your laptop closed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Once you had cleared security you made a beeline for the elevators and mashed the button for the fifth floor. The whole walk to work you had fumed and grumbled and enjoyed the opportunity to continue in the empty elevator. A wicked smile spread across your face as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Earbuds in, bag slung over one shoulder and hands fisted at your side you worked your way through the maze of desks with such purpose nobody dared to do more than stare. You had your sights set on the insanely tidy desk twenty paces in front of you.

The man that sat as this desk set his cup of coffee down and swiveled to watch you approach. The hapless grin fell from his face more with every step you took.

“Fuck you Nelson!” The words were snarled more than they were said and everyone in the vicinity looked to you.

The man, Nelson, stared back with an eyebrow cocked to such a degree it had to be painful, “Is that an offer or a promise?

Without thought you wrapped a fist around his Wal-Mart tie and jerked down with such force his forehead knocked against his coffee cup, the contents of which splattered over his desk and the crotch of his pants. “You are such a piece of shit you know that?” You released his tie and paid no mind to the onlookers. “You knew, you knew, that my next piece was going to be shining a positive light on allowing Orcs on the police force! At the staff meeting Thursday you said, in front of everyone you were working on the boutique burglaries in Elf Town. Then you go and print that shit! So are you a liar or are you just a run of the mill pain in the ass?”

You hadn’t paid attention to the editor who had appeared behind you. Truth be told you hadn’t even taken your earbuds out or turned the volume down. Not like you wanted to hear Nelson’s response anyway.

“[Your Name], Is there a problem here?” Editors surely had better things to do than patrol the office like, well, a teacher on playground duty. Yet, there he was.

The only way out of this you saw was a strategic retreat, as much as you would like to have bashed your coworkers face off his coffee cup again. “No Sir, just some creative disagreement. Did you get the rough draft I sent this morning?”

He was not fooled by your sidestep but he didn’t fight it either. “Yes I did, great as always.”

“Thank you. I was actually wondering, if we could still run it tomorrow but give me time to add a little to it? I stumbled across some new inspiration on my way to work this morning and it would really take the story to another level.” You couldn’t help but be impressed with yourself, you really could talk a good game.

“Oh really, care to share?” Your editor looked both intrigued and skeptical.

“And ruin the surprise?” Whether it was appropriate or not to wink at your boss you didn’t care, it was LA, you do what you gotta do. Bribe law enforcement, flirt a little, hang out with the wrong crowd, whatever it took to get the best story.

He looked between you and Nelson, who still had a red ring the shape of his mug evident on his forehead, “Okay, I’ll bump your deadline until five this afternoon, as long as you promise you won’t make me pay to send you to another workplace behavior course.”

“Deal!” It was painful how hard you had to bite your tongue, when all you wanted to do was stick it in Nelson’s face like a schoolyard bully. That was far too childish, so you waited until your editor was well on his way. Once the coast was clear you turned to walk backwards towards your desk, both middle fingers raised in salute, and mouthed the words, ‘suck it’ to the back or Nelsons head.

~~~~~~~

Half an hour later you sat at your desk, eyes stared at the document in front of you but saw nothing to add. You twirled your pen, cracked your knuckles, but nothing came. You had bluffed. You had no extra inspiration. But, you would not let that asshat Nelson get the last say either.

Eventually you gave up on the computer screen and switched to your phone, mindless swipe and tap games often gave your mind the chance to wander onto something good. Five levels up in Candy Crush and you had it.

It took a grand total of seven minutes to find Officer Jakobys address and phone number. You made a mental note to change a few of your own passwords and send Berto another bottle of scotch. Before you gave yourself a chance to change your mind you dialed the number and hit send.

The line rang longer than expected, so long in fact that you nearly hung up, but at the last second a groggy voice answered, “Hello?”

“Hi, Officer Jakoby? This is [your full name] from the Times. I was the annoying reporter that rode around with y’all last night.”

There was a pause and then he cleared his throat, “Yeah, of course, [your name], I remember. Is everything ok?”

You had to chuckle, you had called and woken him up and his first thought was to see if you were ok. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just was going over the rough draft of my story and came up with some more questions. I was hoping you had time to talk some more. It doesn’t have to be right now, I’m sorry for waking you up by the way.

“No, no, it’s fine. Umm, this wouldn’t have anything to do with the other story that was in todays paper? Would it?” His voice had cleared some as he woke up more, but it was still thick and gravelly.

Internally you cussed Nelson again, “Well, yes and no.” You knew anything that came out of your mouth now would only make the matter worse. Then your eyes happened to settle on the names of the two new Orcish recruits where they were scribbled on a sticky note. “I know you would rather be sleeping, but I was really hoping you could meet me at Upper Park Cafe, on uh, Twenty-Fifth. I’d like to buy you breakfast and introduce you to some people.” You mashed your eyes shut and prepared for his polite decline.

There was another long pause and he cleared his throat again, “Umm, yeah why not… Uh, what time?”

You could hear the rustle of what you assumed were blankets and immediately felt guilty again, but that didn’t stop you from a good fist pump in celebration. Your eyes darted to the clock on your laptop, “Is ten too early? We’ll call it a late breakfast.”

“Sure, ten is fine. I’ll see you there.”

“Awesome! See you then!”

~~~~~~~

In front of the cafe you had to contain the internal happy dance that was just beneath the surface. Recruits Lakso and Grenz had already ordered their breakfast inside and officer Jakoby had just rounded the corner headed your way. You had to hand it to yourself, you were really friggin’ good at your job. You gave him a small wave as he neared, “Morning officer Jakoby, sorry again to wake you.”

He looked a little surprised at your outstretched hand but shook it nonetheless, “It’s ok really, and call me Nick please.”

“Okay, Nick, and you can call me [your first name]. Come on in, we got us a table already.” You turned to grab the door but officer Jakoby, Nick, beat you to it.

Nick held it open and stepped aside for you to enter.

In exchange you gave him a smile, which he returned but quickly glanced to the ground. It was obvious his discomfort only grew as he stepped through the door himself and found it was full of humans, Not even the waitstaff were Orcs.

In hopes that it would encourage him you ignored the strange looks of the other patrons and focused on your path to the booth where your other two breakfast companions sat. Once you reached the table you stood in the middle ground as it were, “Nick, I’d like you to meet LAPD’s newest Orc recruits; Jared Lakso and Shane Grenz.” You pointed to each of the young men in turn, “Boys this is Officer Nicholas Jakoby.” While the three of them shook hands you waved the waitress back over and slid into the booth across from the recruits. Immediately you pulled out your phone and typed some thoughts quickly before the waitress came to your table.

Nick had just sat down next to you when the waitress approached. The male orcs and yourself in a cafe booth had to be an interesting sight but you gave her credit, she took Nicks order of a regular black coffee with an appropriately forced smile.

“So, Nick I have to apologize. I may have brougth you here under false pretenses.” The look he gave you was priceless, “I really don’t have any more questions for you but when I asked Jared and Shane here if they’d like to meet you they jumped at the chance and I think they have plenty of questions I could never think of.” You smiled at the young men who smiled back and agreed enthusiastically. “If it’s okay with you I’d really just like to take some notes while you guys talk.” The recruits had already agreed, that’s the whole reason they were here was to get the chance to meet Nick and bombard him with questions.

Nick looked from you to the boys and back, his ears twitched as his yellow eyes focused on yours.

You had to wonder how well his superior senses allowed him to read people.

A heartbeat later his face softened, ears twitched again and he relaxed into the booth next to you. “Yeah, of… of course. I’d like that very much.”

With that the flood gates opened and your fingers could not keep up with the questions they fired at him. You fumbled slightly as you switched to your recorder app but eventually settled into a comfy position to sip your coffee and watch the interaction.

~~~~~~~

The timer on your phones recorder said one hour, fifty-three minutes and twenty-eight seconds. For nearly two hours Nick had fielded questions from the young recruits. At times he rambled, sometimes he stuttered or tripped over his words, the three of them had even slipped into Orcish on more than one occasion, but the content of his stories and his answers were worth it. The three of them shook hands as the younger orcs prepared to leave and you made it a point to thank them as well as make them promise to stay in touch.

You already had the next part of your story written in your head when Nick switched to the opposite side of the booth. It struck you as odd but when you caught his glance around the room it made more sense. A male orc and a female human on the same side of a booth would surely be something worth any good gossips time. You shook your head but let it slide.

“I, I have to thank you.” His oversized fingers fiddled with his nearly empty coffee mug. “For asking me to come down, that was, it was nice. Talking to them I mean.”

“No, thank you.” You held up your phone, “This is all great!” You caught the look on his face and toned down your journalistic enthusiasm, “So was watching you guys talk. They really were so excited to get to talk to you face to face. They might not say it but they’re scared to go through everything you went through, everything you still go through.”

He stopped his coffee cup mid spin, “I wish I could have told them they have no reason to be scared.”

The look in his eyes was so raw you wished, not for the first time, that you had some semblance of artistic ability so that you could draw the expression. It would tell your story a thousand times better than your words ever could. “I know, but… this is the world we live in. Take it or leave it.” The two of you shared a sad smile. “Not everyone is so bad though.”

His face was still hard to read when he looked at you, “Yeah, I can see that.”

~~~~~~~

“Would you quit yawning, you’re making me tired.” Ward grumbled from where he slouched in the passenger seat.

Jakoby yawned again, “Sorry, didn’t get enough sleep I guess.”

“Oh what, you run out of you magic sleepy pills or somethin’?”

“First of all, it’s called melatonin, and it’s good for you. Second of all, you’re the one that obviously needs more sleep. Maybe you wouldn’t always be in such a bad mood.” Jakoby smiled to himself as he pulled to a stop at the streetlight.

“Do we REALLY need to go over this again?” Ward seemed like he had more to stay but the radio cut him off.

~~~~~~~

From the front of the building, over the pound and pulse of the music, a large orc yelled, “Cops!” Then he yelled it again in Orcish. Most of the partygoers scrambled and fled for the other exits only to be pushed back as the LAPD entered from all sides.

Officers threw Fogteeth members against walls left and right, along with a few humans in possession and one dwarf high on Lord knows what that yelled, “Wingardium leviosa!” over and over again as he was cuffed and literally carried from the building while his feet dangled several feet off the ground

Jakoby and Ward worked their way through the malee, eyes focused as they tried to sort out the innocents from the Orcs they had come to serve warrants on. Jakoby flinched as Ward tripped over a discarded bong on the floor, then something caught his attention. His nostrils flared and he stood still while Ward continued on. He smelled something familiar but could not place it. As he scanned the dingy and poorly lit basement he spun when he heard a window shatter. He looked down his pistol sight at a large orc in a ball cap and leather jacket that had apparently just broke the window and held a human in jeans and tennis shoes up by their feet so they could crawl through.

By the time Jakoby got closer the human was gone but the scent was still there and he could not for the life of him place where he recognized it from. The orc in the Fogteeth cut stared him down. 

Jakoby was blooded. Every member of the Fogteeth gang knew that, knew him. It put him in a strange position. A difficult position. Jakoby lowered his handgun and stared back. Under his breath, in Orcish, he ordered the larger orc to keep his head down and stay out of the way. That the police weren’t there for him.

At first he didn’t move, then with a glance out the small window over his shoulder, the other orc nodded and moved to the far wall and stood next to Dorghu.

It was obvious, though Jakoby couldn’t hear it, that he had said something to the leader.

Dorghu stared at Jakoby, his jaw clenched as he watched several of his clan get drug out of the basement party in handcuffs.

“Jakoby!” Ward called over the raucous.

It snapped Nick back to where he was and why he was there. His eyes darted to the ground and then he focused on his job, but he could still feel the eyes that dug into him from all sides. Cops and orcs alike.

~~~~~~~

It wasn't until towards the end of his shift that Jakoby finally placed the scent he had caught at the Fogteeth party and why it had stood out to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The knock at your door startled you more than you’d like to admit. It was a cop knock, never a good sign. When you considered the events of last night you thought you had a pretty good reason to be a little jumpy. After you hit save and half closed your laptop you combed a hand through your hair. You weren’t dressed for company but you went to open the door anyway. If you had to get arrested in the baggy shorts and tank top you slept in so be it, maybe the nice officers would at least allow you to put some shoes on.

“Nick,” he was the cop that stood on the other side of your door, in his street clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, his sunglasses rested on the back of his head, “What’re you doin’ here?” His face was hard to read, but you noticed when his ears twitched.

“Well, I wanted to ask what you were doing last night.” His voice was serious and his eyes drilled into yours.

That was when you noticed his badge and gun clipped to his belt, “You on the clock Nick?” The coldness in your tone was accidental, but you couldn’t help but be on guard.

He followed your line of sight and shifted his weight from one leg to another. “I just got off. Listen, I just… the other day it looked like one of those Fogteeth kids recognized you. Then last night, last night I’m pretty sure I saw you at a Fogteeth party we busted.” He shifted his weight again.

You tried to read the expression on his face, it almost looked like he was scared to hear your answer. Instead of an answer you stepped back and swung the door open wider, “C’mon, I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.”

At first he didn’t move. “Was it you that I saw?”

His yellow eyes held you in your spot. When you were able to look him in the eye you realized you didn’t want to disappoint him with your wanswer.

Apparently braver than you, Nick took a single step into your apartment, “[Your name].” His hand moved like he wanted to reach out to you, but he kept it at his side.

Something about the way he said your name weakened your resolve, “Yeah Nick, I was there.”

Your fears were realized when he took a step back towards the door. “What were you doing there?”

You sighed and ran a hand through your still disheveled hair. “Some of them are my friends Nick. Have you read any of my stories that focus on orcs? Do you think I could get that kind of insight, that kind of information without some sort of connection?” Without much thought you retreated back into your apartment, left Nick to stand half in and half out of the open door.

To your surprise, and maybe his too, Nick followed and shut the door behind him, “What kind of connection.”

The look on his face, the dejection in his eyes caused half a thought to flash through your mind but you pushed it aside. “Like I said, friends. When I first started at the TImes I got their attention. Kind of on accident.” You poured you both a cup of coffee to keep your hands busy, “Dorghu, he uh, reached out, he liked how I wrote. How I told the real truth and wasn’t afraid to get it out there. He brought me in so I could see what it was really like. They trust me and I trust them.” You slid a cup of coffee towards him and waited.

Nick walked up to the counter but did not take the coffee. “So why were you there?”

The eye roll was a reflex, “Some of Dorghus guys invited me. I went to be friendly and to let Dorghu read my story on the recruits before it published this morning.” The look he gave you makes you have that thought again. “Why does it matter? Gonna out me for a clan affiliation? Take me in for drugs that I wasn’t using?”

“No, no… I just saw you with… sneaking out and I thought…”

You cut him off before he could continue. “You saw me? You mean you saw Tolar help me out the window? The cops were coming in, it would not look good if me, a LA Times reporter, well known for covering orc related stories, was caught at a Fogteeth party.”

His eyes flicked from the floor, to you and back, his ears twitched under your stare.

“Wait.” That thought was back. “You said with, you saw me with… you…” you tapped your thumb against the kitchen counter repeatedly, “You thought I was there with someone.”

His ears twitched and this time he couldn’t look at you at all.

Your annoyance faded and you felt your signature, snarky smile come out of hiding, “Nick, were you jealous?”

If orcs could blush Jakoby would have. “No! Not jealous. I just thought, I just was wondering.”

“You were wondering how close I really am with some of them? You see me, here I was at this party with all these clan blood guys and you thought…” The laughter in your voice and the way you started to invade his personal space had him ready to retreat.

“I didn’t think anything, I was just, just hoping that…” His words dissolved into stammers and stutters as you came to stand directly in front of him.

With a slow blink and one hand braced against your counter you looked into his eyes, “Hoping that what?”

After a moment his back straightened and it made your stomach do a little flip when his voice came out lower and raspier, “That you weren’t there with one of those guys.” His courage faded a little before your very eyes, “I don’t, don’t wanna see you get into trouble.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle, “Oh please, I am trouble.”

Jakoby relaxed a bit, but your close proximity seemed to still have him flustered. “Yeah, I uh, kinda noticed.” He looked into your eyes long enough it actually mad you a little uncomfortable as well. His jaw clicked and his ears twitched, “I… ok, I may have been a little jealous.”

He had no reason to be jealous, but you had to admit you kind of liked the idea. You may have been friends with a few orcs, party with them on occasion, appreciate and understand their way of life and their values, but you’d never been with one the way that you were sure he thought. You followed his line of sight to where it settled on his scuffed and worn work boots. As you worked your gaze back up to his face your felt your skin warm. 

You always embraced your rather impulsive nature which, so far, had not led you wrong. So, as was your way, you said what came to mind, “That’s cute,” and with a rather unsteady hand you reached for the back of his neck, “But, you’re not the one that should be jealous.”

Nick only had a matter of seconds to look confused before you pulled him down to your level and pressed your lips to his.

At first he was tense, not that you could blame him. When he didn’t relax after several beats you pulled back, lips parted. You filed through your brain for some sarcastic quip to recover and save you both from some dignity, but your breath stuck in the back of your throat before you could find one.

A heavy hand gripped your waist and pulled you closer. Nicks normally golden eyes were nearly black, his pupils had dilated that much. A sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh rumbled in his chest and then he kissed you.

It was admittedly awkward at first. His mouth was wider than yours and his rounded tusks rubbed in a strange way. You pulled apart again, but it took only a few seconds for you to miss the odd sensation. You hoped to convey this message so you worked your fingers against the muscles of his neck. His own hand dug into your side as he pulled you closer with another half sigh half growl. The combination led to a sensory overload that sent a shock straight to that particular spot at the base of your spine.

Nick let out a deeper growl and then crushed his lips to yours again. You instantly cursed in your head when you remembered his orc sense of smell. The growl made more sense then. You didn’t have time to be embarrassed by your own excitement however, because one of Nicks tusks scraped across the underside of your bottom lip and his rough tongue slid across your top lip.

You swore you heard the audible click as your brain shut off. Your mind happy to relax as the kiss settled into an easy rhythm of give and take.

Evetually the need for air tripped the breaker as your brain powered back on. For a moment you paused to gather your thoughts. A twitch of Nicks fingers snapped your eyes back to his face. 

The panic in his face was poorly concealed as he took a half step back. You waited while he opened and closed his mouth several times. He glanced at your face then to the floor, “[Your name], I’m…”

“Nick, I swear to God,” You too took a step back and gave him a good natured glare and a gentle shove for good measure, “If you apologize I will shoot you with your own gun.”

One of his hands rubbed at his chest for a moment. “That’s considered assaulting an officer you know.” His smile broke the little bit of tension that had formed.

Your eyes flicked to his gun and badge and chuckled, “Ok, well I’ll try not to do it again.”

“Ok, well, wait… the kissing or the shoving.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed.

He smiled and laughed a little too, “That was sarcasm.”

You hadn’t promised you wouldn’t, so you shoved him again. You both laughedw hen he grabbed at the counter to steady himself. In the process he inadvertently knocked over a stack of mail behind him. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He immediately went to pick it up and put it all back on the counter but he paused, “What is all this?” Nick leafed through some of the letters, both typed and written.

“Oh nothing,” You reached for your abandoned coffee cup, “Just some quote unquote fan mail.” So they were really more like hate mail but you considered haters fans all the same. If someone hated you it meant they still read your work, or at least enough of it to get pissed.

Nick read a few sentences here and there, “Shit, [Your name], some of this is really bad. You know you can turn people in for this right?”

“Eh, it’s just a bunch of letters.” You sipped from your coffee, “As you can see I have quite the collection, hell those are just the ones that come in the mail, you should see my Facebook inbox. And besides, nothing bad has happened yet.” You rappd you knuckles agianst the counter twice. Yeah, you were superstitious, it just made you more interesting.

Based on the look he gave you he did not think it was as small a matter as you did. “Have you told anyone about all this?” He held up another handful of the letters.

“Sure,” you took another sip of coffee to hide your smirk, “I told the cops.”

He nodded as he straightened up the pile back where it belonged. “Wait… you mean me?” Your chuckle did not amuse him. “That’s not… You’re not going to listen to me are you?”

You shook your head, still partially hidden behind your mug.

Nick let out a sigh.

“Don’t worry about it, okay. I’m not worried, promise.”

He sighed again, shook his head and rubbed a hand across his face to cover a yawn.

You smiled slightly and set your coffee cup down as you walked back around to stand next to him, “You should go get some sleep.”

“Yeah.” He paused to look down at you now that you once again stood in his personal space. “Can I kiss you again? Before I leave.”

Your teeth worked the inside of your lip to quiet your laugh, “Mhmm.”

This kiss was slow and purposeful, not as clumsy as the first. His hand once again grabbed at your side, lower this time, it settled where the hem of your tank top met the top of your basketball shorts. Your own hands rested on either side of his rib cage, your mind registered the difference in musculature and your fingers tightened of their own accord.

When he finally pulled back he left his forehead to rest against yours, “I should go.”

Your just nodded. “Go get some sleep. I’ll uh, I’ll text you later.”

Nick nodded, the movement caused your nose to bump against his much larger one. You both chuckled and he said a quick, “Good night.” and gave you another quick kiss.

You walked him to the door and threw the bolt behind him. Left alone in your apartment again you let your real smile break through and the full on laugh that came with it. “What the hell are you gettin’ yourself into girl?” You couldn’t answer your own question, so you just went about your morning routine and got ready for work.

~~~~~~~

Nick sat in the drivers seat and scrolled through his phone as he read your article while he waited for Ward. As his partner approached he finished the story with a smile. After a moment of quick deliberation he pulled up his call log and saved your number so he could send a text.

The passenger door open and Ward crawled in with a groan.

“Hey partner.” Nick hit send, still with a grin on his face as his phone made the whoosh sound that accompanied a sent text.

“Hey. What you smilin’ at?” Ward settled into his seat and slammed the door behind him.

“Hmm, what?” Jakoby shoved his phone in his pocket and turned over the ignition, “Nothin’ just reading. You ready?”

“Mhmm, yeah. Let’s get goin’.”

When it was time to stop for lunch, several hours later that night, Ward radioed in their location and then they both got out of the cruiser to get lunch. While Daryl ordered Jakoby went back to lean against the hood of the SUV and pulled out his phone while he waited. He twisted his mouth in a strange way when he saw that there was no reply to the text he had sent you. After a look around the crowd, and a glance at Ward where his partner stood to wait for their food, Jakoby let out a hmph. He did his best to push down the nervousness in his chest and typed out another text. - Hey, we’re getting switched to day shift for the next couple weeks so I've got the next 48 hours off. If you want to go to dinner or something, I’d like that. Let me know. -

“You gonna get off your phone and eat?” Ward waved a foil wrapped burrito in Nicks face. When Nick scrunched up his nose Ward rolled his eyes, “It’s chicken, don’t worry.”

“Oh, thanks partner.” Jakoby shoved his phone back in his pocket and took the burrito. The two officers ate their lunch in the SUV, in relative silence. Jakoby silently hoped for the vibration of his phone in his pants pocket. It never came.

The next time he dared a glance at the phone was after he had showered and dressed to head home from his shift. He found several notifications but none were from you. While he walked to his car, and ignored as many of his fellow officers as possible, he fought down the insecurity. Forced himself not to think of the what ifs and maybes. He sat in his truck for several minutes, his cell phone flipped between his fingers incessantly. Finally he swallowed his nerves and pulled up your number, after a deep breath he hit send.

Besides the trill of the phone the rumble of the trucks engine was the only noise, it did not help Jakobys anxiety. When your voicemail picked up he hung his head and sighed.

“Hey, this is [Your Name] leave a message!”

“Hey [Your Name], it’s Nick. I uh… didn’t hear back from the texts I sent, I know it was late and you were probably asleep but, I don’t know I just thought I’d call and check on you… So, uh, sorry for bothering you but let me know if you’re ok. Ok. Bye.” He hit end and bounced the back of his head off the headrest a few times before he mumbled to himself, “Good job Jakoby.” Nick grabbed his sunglasses off the dash to block out the sun as it rose through the skyscrapers and turned the volume up on his radio.

~~~~~~~

When Jakoby woke up that afternoon he still hadn’t heard from you. In the shower he convinced himself to let it go. Not like it was a surprise. He could come up with dozens of reasons why you had not responded, most of them came down to the fact that he was what he was.

After his shower and something to eat he got control of his insecurity, only for it to be replaced with a sense of worry that nagged at him. Unable to ignore the feeling he grabbed his phone off the table and dialed your number again. This time it did not ring, it went straight to a recorded message that told him the phone was out of service and the voicemail inbox was full.

Maybe he was paranoid but that sealed it for him, something had to be wrong.

Within ten minutes he was in the car and on his way to your apartment building. Once again he used his badge to get into the building and then made his way up to the third floor.

After several good knocks with no answer the neighbor poked his head out into the hall. “Hey man, What’s going on?” The young, black man startled a little once he saw that the man that had made such a ruckus in the hall was Jakoby, an Orc.

Jakoby turned to him and made sure his badge was visible. “Sorry Sir, have you seen Miss [Your Name} today?”

The neighbor stepped further out of his own apartment, “Nah, she keeps kinda weird hours sometimes though. She do something?”

“No, no just checking in. When was the last time you know for sure she was home?”

“Umm,” The young man leaned against his door jamb and scratched at his chest, “I know she was here last night. She was on her way out to get food I think when I got back from visitn’ my girlfriend.”

Jakoby nodded, but before he could reply the neighbor spoke up again.

“You know what, I know she was home later than that ‘cause I heard some racket a few hours later.”

“What kind of racket?” Jakoby perked up and his ears twitched.

“I don’t know, few voices and something that sounded like she dropped something glass, it broke. Maybe like furniture movin’ around too. Not sure. Just, noise ya know.”

Nick nodded, “Sure, sure. Thank you.” After a moment, just before the neighbor closed his door Nick called out, “Hey, you don’t happen to have a spare key to her apartment do you?”

“Nope sorry.” He went back into his own apartment and closed the door.

None of the other neighbors had one either, and it was no surprise that the building manager was nowhere to be found. Still worried and not sure what else to do he went into cop mode. He decided he would deal with the ramifications later and pounded on the door three more times, “LAPD! Open the door!” Did he have a warrant? No. Did he have probable cause? Maybe, not really. Did he kick the door in anyway? Yep

Once inside the apartment his worry came full circle. The glass your neighbor had heard break was a window. The furniture being moved was the desk under the window as it was shoved aside and one of the kitchen counter stools was tipped over in the middle of the floor.

As he looked around the apartment, his hand hovered over his holster, he found your phone, wallet and keys. The only thing he noticed as really odd, based on the little bit he knew, was that the laptop was not on the desk but it’s bag still hung by the door. He cleared the apartment before he stopped to mumble to himself. “Would she leave everything but her laptop?” He tapped the phones screen and saw it full of missed call and voicemail notifications. Something was definitely wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that **"Orcish looks like this."**

Chapter Four

On the ground floor of the office building Nick walked straight up to the receptionist, with his badge in hand. “What floor does [Your Name] work on, do you know?”

The receptionist paused for a moment, looked from the badge to Jakobys face and back. “The writer? For the Times?”

“Yes ma’am.” Jakoby nodded and tapped the badge against the counter unconsciously.

“Times is on the fifth floor,” She pointed an expertly manicured finger to her left, “Elevators are over there.”

Jakoby nodded with a serious smile, “Thank you very much.” He marched across the lobby and poked the up button on the closest elevator. It moved too slowly and he shuffled around while he waited. He continued to shuffle on the elevator up and didn’t stop until the elevator itself stopped on the fifth floor. With a deep breath that flared his nostrils he steadied himself, squared his shoulders and walked onto the office floor. Really, he had no way to know where to begin so he made his way through the rows of desks to the offices along the back wall.

At a door with “Editor in Chief” on the window Jakoby knocked sharply and caused the man inside to jump at his desk. “Can, can I help you?”

Nick ignored the obvious discomfort in the older mans face. “Yes Sir,” He flashed his badge, “I’m looking for one of your reporters, [your name]. Did she come in to work today?”

The editor furrowed his brow and smoothed a hand over his salt and pepper hair, “Umm, no actually, but that’s not all that odd. She always tends to work on her own schedule, late nights, early mornings. She likes to take field trips too, if you know what I mean. Never misses a deadline and her stories never disappoint so I try not to get in her way.”

Nick nodded. “So she didn’t come in, but have you heard from her today? At all?”

“No, no I haven’t. You could maybe try Robert, he’s one of our photographers, they work together a lot. Robert Morales.” He pointed through the door towards a cluster of desks against the opposite wall.

“Ok, I’ll do that. Thank you very much.” Nick nodded once more and turned to leave.

“Officer?” The editor stood up from his desk, brow furrowed deeper. “Is there some reason you’re looking for [your name]? Is she… in trouble or something?”

“I can’t say right now, we’re just trying to locate her. Why?” Did Jakoby dare get his hopes up? “Do you know something else?”

After what seemed to be a moment of internal struggle he spoke again, “I’m sure this is just me overthinking things, but… her and one of my other writers tend to butt heads, regularly, over… well pretty much everything. They get into a pissing match here and there, never seen anything really bad but… Just so you know.”

Slowly, thoughtfully, Nick nodded. “Ok, thank you. Can you tell me who that is?”

“Yeah it’s uh, Nelson… I saw him go into the breakroom just a few minutes ago.”

“Thank you. If you hear from her, can you please call me?” Nick pulled out his wallet and handed him a business card before he went in search of this Nelson guy.

Nelson jumped too when Nick opened the door to the break room, though Nelson seemed far more uncomfortable than the editor or anyone else in the office for that matter. The break room was empty except for Nelson, and Jakoby whose bulk now stood between Nelson and the only door in or out of the small room.

After a moment of heavy, awkward silence Nelson cleared his throat. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yeah actually I’m a friend of [Your Name]s, have you seen her today?” Nick folded his arms across his chest, his naturally muscular biceps bulged with the motion.

“Why are you looking for her?” Nelson hadn’t gotten up from the table but he had set down the Jarritos Limon he had bought as an afternoon pick me up.

Nick worked his jaw, rounded tucks protruded from his bottom lip slightly, “Like I said; I’m a friend.”

Nelson sighed, “Of course you are.”

Jakoby already didn’t like this guy, apparently [your name] was a good judge of character. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Oh please, she’s always running around with… well, your type. Is she missing or in trouble or something? Sounds about right.” Nelson flopped back against the back of his chair, crossed his own arms. “Knew she’d get in the middle of something one of these days. Serves her right.”

“Serves her right?” Jakboy ground his teeth together. “So you guys don’t get along so well it sounds like.”

The reporter stood up and grabbed his drink bottle, “Let’s just call it creative differences.” He walked up to Jakoby like he planned to leave, bud the orc did not move.

“Did she have creative differences with anyone else that you know of?” Jakoby quite literally stared down the unpleasant little man. “Or maybe I should ask how bad your differences were?”

“Hey pig, I don’t like what you’re insinuating. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have anywhere else I need to be.” Nelson moved to reach for the door without so much as a glance at Nicks face.

Nick stepped aside to let the man leave.

“Who knows what that bitch go herself into.” He muttered under his breath as he started to pull the door open. 

A second later Nick slammed the door shut with one hand and with the other grabbed Nelson around the back of the neck, picked him up and smashed him against the door face first, the Mexican soda crashed to the floor. “You shouldn’t talk about a lady like that.” Nick snarled in the reporters ear as the man gasped and sputtered against the faux wood of the break room door. “Now, tell me the fucking truth.Do you know where [Your Name] is or not?”

Nelson groaned as Jakoby tightened his grip on the mans throat and pushed his face harder into the door, “No, shit man, of course I don’t.” He groaned again louder as Jakobys grip tightened even more. “Jesus, all I know is that she picked up some new story she was all excited about. Something that came in her daily batch of hate mail yesterday. Now, let me the fuck go.”

Nick took his time and considered his options while Nelson struggled in his grasp. “Is the hate mail here?” Nelson grunted and grumbled under his breath but did not answer, so Jakoby pushed him further up the door, his face drug against it as he went.

“Fuck, man. Yeah it came in the mail here at the office. Put me down now! Or I’m gonna call the fucking cops.” Nelson started to fight more, his hands grabbed at Jakobys shirt the best he could.

“Fine.” Jakoby let the reporter drop back to stand on his own two feet. “Get out of here.” After Nelson left the break room Jakoby leaned back against one of the vending machines. He looked down at the spilled soda as he thought. Even if the hate mail had some sort of clue what good would it do him to take it to the cops. Nothing had changed that much, most of the law enforcement community still didn’t take him seriously. Hell, when he had called to report a missing person dispatch had said they’d send someone when they had an extra man. Even now Jakoby snorted, there were no cops to be spared in LA, no one would be sent to search the apartment.

All the scenarios ran through his mind, he couldn’t stop them. Was it possible [Your Name] had just decided to blow him off? In the most insane way possible? Maybe, but he tried to push his insecurity aside and think like a cop. Nobody would go through that much trouble just to disappear from him. Maybe from someone else, someone dangerous?

Based on what Nelson had said the most likely scenario was that someone dangerous had done something very bad. If that was the case he would need someone very dangerous to track them down. Without the polices help Nick could only come up with one other alternative, and if he was honest with himself he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

~~~~~~~

“So are you pecker heads gonna let a girl go to the bathroom or not?” You were already very done with this situation you had found yourself in and a bladder full of afternoon espresso was not something you wanted to deal with on top of everything.

“Piss on yourself.”

You rolled your eyes and shot back, “Piss on you.”

Whoever stood next to you landed a solid backhand across your face and you couldn’t help but gasp at the pain. You had a momentary hope that the slap would dislodge the blindfold but no such luck. “You need to learn some manners bitch.”

“Yeah,” You spit something out of your mouth that tasted like a foamy combination of saliva and blood. You suppressed the gag as best you could. “Oddly enough I get that a lot.”

The space was silent for several moments and you focused all your energy on the few sounds you could hear. Which, wasn’t a lot. Just some muffled conversation several feet away, to your right. All you could catch was one man that didn’t sound familiar say something that sounded like, “What time is he supposed to be here?”

Another voice, with an unusual accent replied, “I don’t know, hopefully soon. Shit’s gettin’ old.”

~~~~~~~

“What’re you doin’ here five oh?” One of the orcs by the door stepped forward to partially block Nicks path.

He tried to quell the eye roll and disgruntled sigh the best he could before he spoke, “I need to see Dorghu.”

“Oh, you need to see Dorghu? Let me check,” The orc turned to his partner who stood a few feet away, chuckled and then looked back, “Sorry he’s unavailable. Come back later.”

Nick sighed again, unable to hide it this time. “Look, just go and tell him that I need to see him and that it’s about [Your Name].”

Then the other orc stepped forward too, even shoved his partner aside, “What about her?”

It took him a second and a deep inhale, but Nick did recognize him as the orc that had helped [Your Name] escape from the police raid. “Tolar, right?”

The other two orcs exchanged a look but the bigger one nodded, “Yeah. What do you want with [Your Name]?”

He was obviously protective, as orcs tended to be towards the females in their lives, and Nick hoped that would come in useful. “I think she may be in trouble.” He decided to keep it short and see what happened next.

The bigger orc, Tolar, ground his teeth from side to side before he slapped his friend across the chest, “Go tell Dorghu he’s here. I’ll bring him right behind you.” With some protest the other orc went through the door and Nick stepped to follow but was stopped by Tolar. “How you know she’s in trouble?”

Unsure what else to do Nick told the truth. “I was with her yesterday morning. We were supposed to see each other today but I couldn’t get a hold of her. I went to her apartment and it looked like it had been broken into. I went to her work and nobody had seen her.” Nick paused, tried his best to gauge Tolars reaction, “I know that she gets a lot of attention for her writing and I know it’s not all good.”

Tolar stepped toward Nick and sucked in air through his nose, his tree branch arms bent at a slight angle because of the way his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. “You’re worried about her?” He could smell it on him.

Nick squared up to the larger Orc, “So are you.”

The standoff only lasted a moment before Tolar nodded with a grunt and then led the way through one of the church’s back entrances.

Strange, uncomfortable, eerie, morbid, none of these words accurately described how Jakoby felt as he walked through the building he had been drug through a few months before. His stomach flopped and his throat constricted as his boots clomped across the steel plates in front of Dorghus ‘throne’. The plates that covered the hole, where his lifeless body had fallen deep into the earth. It was an odd experience to remember his own death and his hand moved to rub at the scar he now wore in the center of his chest.

“Bringing back some good memories?” Dorghu appeared through the shadows.

Nick rubbed at the scar through his t-shirt one more time before he answered in Orcish, **“Not all that good.”**

Dorghu snorted as he came to stand in front of the two guards and Nick, **“Leave us.”** Tolar and the other orc didn’t move right away, didn’t look like they planned on it at all until Dorghu raised his voice, “Leave us, now!” The room was silent until a door closed behind the other two, then Dorghu spoke again, in English this time, “So, you say [Your Name] is in some sort of trouble. Why do you say that?” The clan leader crossed his arms, his leather jacket creaking as he did so.

Nick took a deep breath, “I went to see her the morning after, the morning after we raided your party… for those warrants. I was going to see her again, after my shift but she wasn’t answering. Went to her apartment; broken into. Went to her office, nobody had seen her.”

“And you come here, to us, because?” Dorghu shifted his weight, eyes trained on Nicks face, “Don’t you have all your cop buddies for that?”

His resolve wavered slightly, “They wouldn’t even send units to her apartment when I called.”

“Ha! How many times do I have to tell you brother…”

“Just don’t.” Nick cut him off. “Are you gonna help or not?”

Dorghu growled, more to himself it seemed but still a growl, “What were you doin’ at her apartment?”

The runaround was getting old, “What was she doing at your party?” Nick straight up glared at Dorghu now.

They stayed that way for a moment “You lookin’ to get her in more trouble or keep her out of it?”

“I just want her to be safe.” Nick did not flinch as Dorghu got right in his face. He took the stare down in stride.

With two strong sniffs Dorghu took the last step needed to close the distance between them, after a second he chuckled but it was dark and dry, “You want her.”

This time Nick was the one that growled, “I want her home. Safe. Are you gonna help or not?”

Finally Dorghu nodded and took two steps back. “You have anything to go on? And what exactly is it you want us to do?”

Nick pulled a folded letter from his jeans pocket and held it out to the clan leader. “She got this in the mail this morning I guess, I tried to look into it but only so much I can do without opening an actual case.”

“And that’s where we come in.” Dorghu took the letter and looked it over. “I will have some of my guys take a look around, see what’s goin’ on.” Dorghu looked from the letter back to Nick, “Listen man, she’s family, as far as I’m concerned.” Something in Nicks face made him add, “And she’s a tough girl, I wouldn’t worry about her too much yet.”

~~~~~~~

You were gagged now too, apparently they got tired of your smart mouth and probative questions. Whoever they were. You had no clue and, not for the first time, you mentally kicked yourself that you did not research the lead better. Or for that matter the fact that you took a lead from a hate mail letter. Who does that? Oh, well yeah, you do that. Which is why you are currently bound, gagged and blindfolded and have no idea where you are.

Some of the men in the room earlier had left, or were at least being very silent. The only voices you could hear for sure were the possibly older man to your right and the two young boys by what was probably the only door in and out. The boys talked among themselves, nothing useful, not even interesting. One of them seemed to be on his Instagram and would occasionally show his friend a picture of what you assumed was some scantily clad women.

Once you decided to focus on your breaths, and fight to suppress the gag reflex caused by the rag tied in your mouth, time slipped away. You were totally unsure of what hour it was, how long you had been wherever you were. Your mind would wander to ways you could get out of this, ways you could talk yourself out of it, For quite awhile you wrote this article in you mind. It would surely get the front page, above the fold. Then you thought of your apartment, you’d have to fix that window which pissed you off and sent you back to thoughts of escape.

“Is he coming or not?” One of the voices in charge was back.

“He’s not answering.”

“Well, what the hell are we supposed to do with this bitch then?” His voice has harsh and you thought maybe a little desperate.

“Let’s just off her. What were they gonna do with her anyway? That’s what this is all about right, getting her to shut up? There. Problem solved.”

Whoever that was you hadn’t heard speak before, or at least not enough to recognize.

Footsteps came closer until this unfamiliar voice was right in front of you. “What are we gonna do with you ya pig loving cunt.”

In the middle of a life or death situation and your sarcasm made another unscheduled appearance. The best you could with the gag in your mouth you said, “That was rude.”

“What? What was that? Hmm?” This guy was arrogant and probably not as important as he thought he was.

You mumbled the phrase over and over and over non stop until at last he jerked the gag from your mouth.

“What’d you say bitch?”

It was hard with your eyes blindfolded but you turned your face towards the sound of his voice, “I said; that was rude.” A sharp slap landed across the side of your face and you felt the chair you sat on tip up onto two legs with the force of it. The “Fuck you.” left your mouth of it’s own power and this time when the mystery man hit you the chair did tip and you found yourself laid sideways on a very grimy floor.

“Knock it off, shit head.” The other man, the one that seemed more in charge was closer now and there was a rustle of clothes and bodies you assumed must have been him as he drug the man that had hit you away. “Listen, we don’t lay a hand on her until we hear from him. And so far, we ain’t heard from him. So hands off.”

You could hear the other one grumble as he was shoved away. You flinched when a set of hands grabbed you and set you upright. The man to your side had been forgotten up until that point. Once you felt stable on the chair again you said a soft, “Thank you.” but only got a grunt in return. 

The space fell silent again after that, except for the ring in your ears from the hits.

~~~~~~~

Nick stood under the hot water, arms braced against the wall, head bowed. This wasn’t how he had hoped to spend his couple of days off. He couldn’t shut his mind down and he didn’t like where it went, the thoughts it had. Before long he gave up the hopes that the hot water would ease the tension in his body and his mind. After another minute and one last quick scrub he got out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack.

He had just dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist when he heard his phone ring out in the bedroom. With one hand he knotted the towel as he walked over to his dresser and answered the number he didn’t recognize. “Jakoby.”

“We think we know who has {Your Name].”

Nick wasn’t surprised that Dorghu skipped over the pleasantries, “So someone did kidnap her? Where is she?”

“Well, we found the piece of shit that hired some hate group fucktards to grab her. We don’t know where she is.” The unmistakable sound of body blows came through the phone loud and clear, “Yet.”

He wasn’t sure how he felt about Dorghus methods but he would live with that if he he had to. “Where are you?” Nick grabbed a pair of jeans out of dresser drawer.

**“Come to the church.”** Dorghu didn’t wait for a response, just hung up 

********

Nick stared at the wall above the dresser after he tossed his phone on the bed. “But, I don’t like the church.

****~~~~~~~** **

Two different orcs stood guard of the door, but they didn’t stop Nick this time. No, this time they held the door open and motioned for him to go inside.

********

The uneasy feeling from before was back, he hoped that he wouldn’t have to spend much time here after this. As he walked further down one of the dimly lit hallways the sounds of a beating grew louder. In the main room, that room, Jakoby found Dorghu in his ‘throne’ and several orcs in a huddle. A man lay cowered on the floor between them.

********

Before Nick could get closer Dorghu stood up and met him halfway. “Come with me.” Nick didn’t need to see who it was the orcs had found responsible, he recognized the scent and screwed up his face in anger.

********

The two of them walked towards a dark corner of the room where sharp thuds echoed as the orcs worked over whoever it was they had found. Nick asked even though he was certain he knew the answer already, “Who is it?”

********

**“Not important."** Dorghu flicked away a cigarette butt and clamped a rough hand on Nicks shoulder to stop him when he craned his head for a better look. **“What is important is that now he’s talking and we will know where [Your Name] is.” ******

************ ** **

Nick huffed and shrugged off Dorghus hand, **“If that guy had [Your Name] kidnapped then he needs to be turned in.”**

************ ** **

**“We’re gonna handle it, and you’re gonna stay out of it. Understand?”**

************ ** **

“Like hell I am, I’m a cop!”

************ ** **

Dorghu growled deeply and shoved Nick further back into the dark corner, “Exactly! You can’t get wrapped up in this shit! Everyone is always looking for any excuse they can to get your ass canned. I get why you’re doing this, I do. But let us handle this part. It’s better for everyone if you’re still a cop when this is all said and done.”

************ ** **

Nick was dumbfounded for a moment, too many emotions raced through him and he couldn’t respond. It was then that Tolar came to them, he was taller than both of them and so he ducked his head slightly when he spoke to them, **“We got it.”**

************ ** **

“Good.” Dorghu nodded and rubbed a hand over his knuckles.

************ ** **

**“I’m going.”** Nick bared his teeth, even what was left of his tusks.

************ ** **

Tolar looked between Nick and Dorghu, Dorghu stared directly at Nick, sniffed at the air and then finally nodded. **“Get him a jacket or somethin’, he still looks and smells like a fuckin’ cop.”**

********~~~~~~~** ** ** **

Nobody had been back in the room with you for what seemed like hours. Except for the older man that now stood guard over the door, you could hear his heavy footsteps as he paced. Your eyes burned and your throat was dry, you were exhausted. All you could think of now was sleep. If you could just get some sleep maybe the sting of the rope around your wrists would go away, maybe the hum in your ears would fade and the lump in the back of your throat would dissolve. Your mind could no longer focus on thoughts of escape, right now all you could think of was the sharp, hollow pain in the pit of your stomach. The last time you had eaten or drank was a distant memory now.

************ ** **

Your head bobbed but you caught yourself and fought to stay awake. Then a sound, muffled by walls, caught your attention and your head snapped up. More awake now, you listened. Crashes and thuds grew closer and a new siege of fear spread through you. As hard as you could you fought against the ropes around your wrists and ankles but nothing gave way. Colors rippled behind your eyelids as your heart began to race, your chest burned as you gasped in air, full on panic sat in and tears slid down your face as gunshots rang through the building.

************ ** **

You knew that any second now you’d meet whatever end had come for you and the air was sucked from your lungs as the door burst open and the room was filled with gunfire. There were several screams and grunts, crashes that sounded like bodies as they were thrown against walls. For the first time a hopeful thought crossed your mind, Maybe whoever it was wasn’t here to kill you. Maybe they were here to save you!

************ ** **

Just then a searing pain ripped through your side and a raw, guttural scream you had no control over exploded from your throat. The room spun and more colors exploded behind your eyelids even before you registered the pain in your head as it bounced off what could only be the cement floor.

************ ** **

The pain in your side and stomach would not go away and you gritted your teeth against it until several hands began to grab at you and you focused all coherent thought on how to get them away from you. Then over the roar in your ears you heard your name, repeated several times, by more than one voice. Voices you thought you should recognize.

************ ** **

Then the blindfold was removed and you clamped your eyes shut even against the dim light.

************ ** **

“[Your Name], hey look at me. [Your Name].”

************ ** **

Suddenly your legs fell apart, the rope had been removed, and then you were rolled on your side. You felt the steel of a knife against the inside of your wrists and flinched. A tiny, hot pain radiated from the nerves there. Someone behind you muttered a long sentence in Orcish, you only caught the word for, “Sorry.”

************ ** **

Your wrists were free finally and you were laid flat on your back before you dared open your eyes again. While your vision focused you felt a heavy pressure on the pain in your side. You grit your teeth at first but the pressure seemed to help a little, “Hey, c’mon [Your Name], you gotta open your eyes.”

************ ** **

Scattered, single gunshots still echoed occasionally. Out of some strange reflex you settled your own hand over the one that applied pressure to your side. The skin was thick and rough. More Orcish words you couldn’t quite catch bounced around above you.

************ ** **

The first thing you could see clearly was the color orange. Orange and black. You felt your entire body sag slightly, relaxed almost. Fogteeth. Your vision never did clear completely, just enough to see the orcs that hovered over you.

************ ** **

“[Your Name], hey, listen to me okay? You got shot. I’m gonna call an ambulance for you ok, just hold on.” More Orcish, the tone sounded like a disagreement. You recognized the curse word that ended the argument, “Ok, we’re gonna get you to the hospital ok?” You couldn’t answer and that seemed to cause concern. “Hey, nod if you can hear me.”

************ ** **

You could nod.

************ ** **

The pain of being carried outside and into an SUV was almost as bad as the gunshot itself. The pressure from the hand remained even once you were laid across the backseat. Your hand found its way back to cover the much larger one once again. It felt like that pointless reflex people have when they get hit on the head. You know there’s no blood but you still lay your hand over the spot then look at it to check just in case. Except, now, when you strained to look at your own hand there was blood. Lots of blood.

************ ** **

“Hey, don’t look at that ok. Look at me.”

************ ** **

You did as you were told, contrary to your nature, and looked up towards the voice. You rolled your head slightly, your temple came to rest against a hard stomach. For a moment you let a small smile escape, your head was in Nicks lap, it was his, surely well defined, abs your forehead rested against, it was his hand that kept you from bleeding to death.

********~~~~~~~** ** ** **

The tires squealed as the SUV skidded to a stop outside the Emergency entrance. Nick pulled you from the backseat as carefully as he could as soon as Tolar opened the door. He clamped his hand over the bullet wound as Nick carried you into the Emergency room, both immediately yelled for help. In a blur nurses and doctors emerged and suddenly it wasn’t Nick that held you but a hospital gurney.

************ ** **

Nick moved to follow as you were wheeled away but a large, male nurse blocked his path and pointed at the door. “You can’t be here. Get the fuck out!”

************ ** **

Tolar grabbed Nick by the back of the leather cut he wore, **“C’mon brother, we have to go.”**

************ ** **

Nick pulled away, “No.”

************ ** **

Again Tolar grabbed him, this time with more force, and shoved him towards the door. **“We aren’t allowed to be here. Come on.”**

************ ** **

Outside the automatic doors another orc helped Tolar to restrain Jakoby. **“C’mon man, we gotta go. They wouldn’t let you in there anyway.”**

************ ** **

Nick fought them off with a roar but rather than attempt to get back in the hospital he turned and smashed his fist into the back window of the SUV, spider web cracks radiated across the glass.

************ ** **


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second to last chapter y’all!
> 
> Friendly reminder, **“Words that look like this are in Orcish.”**

Chapter Five

You sat up in bed as carefully as you could, slowly so that the pain in your side stayed manageable. How long did it take for a gunshot wound to heal anyway? Just as gingerly as you had got out of bed you made your way out to the kitchen to start your coffee maker. You ignored the print copy of the TImes that had been on the same corner of your counter since the day it came out.

Even the headline was a lie, but it kept the ones you cared about out of trouble and that was what really mattered. At least that’s what you said to yourself over and over again to keep yourself from the urge to read it more than once. You walked slow laps around your apartment while you waited for the coffee, the movement helped keep the pain manageable throughout the day. When the coffee pot finally beeped you poured yourself a cup and sat down at your desk, for the first time since the shooting. You tried to write, something, anything, but nothing came.

After your fifth cup of coffee you couldn’t take it anymore. You had to do something.

~~~~~~~

The look on his face when he opened the door was one of pure surprise. “[Your Name], what… what are you doing here? How, how do you know where I live?”

“Let’s just say I’m resourceful and leave it at that.” You paused, looked at the ground, unsure how to answer his other question. “I guess, I was just goin’ stir crazy in my apartment and I hadn't heard from you since… well, yeah, I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure you were doin’ okay.”

Nick shifted his weight back and forth. “You should be worrying about yourself, ya know. Are you even supposed to be up and around? How did you get here anyway?” He leaned out the door to look up and down the street.

“Like I said, I’m resourceful.” You stood there, neither of you really sure what to say or able to look at each other directly. “I was wondering if you wanted to get a late lunch?”

He remained silent, confused.

“You don’t have to, obviously, I just, I don’t know Nick…” You looked at him finally, then back over your shoulder. “You saved my life and… And I feel like we have some things, you know, we should probably talk about. I mean Christs sake, we kissed, you risked your job for me, rescued me from psychos, kept me from bleeding out, carried me into the emergency room…” You stopped to catch your breath and grit your teeth against the twinge in your stomach. “I just wanted to see you Nick…”

Jakoby blinked, “Really?”

You finally looked each other in the eye and you gave him a small smile, ‘Yeah.”

He nodded, “I, I was worried about you, y’know but…’ He shifted his weight back and forth again.

“It’s okay, I’m sure you've been busy. That’s, that’s part of why I didn't call.”

Nicks ears twitched, “I uh… actually haven’t been all that busy. Just working around the house mostly.” He paused at the look on your face. “Umm, after… I, I got suspended for awhile.”

“You what!?”

“It’s, it’s no big deal. My suspension is almost over now so it’s okay. I broke a lot of rules, they had to do something.”

“Nick…Shit, I’m so sorry…”

“No, no it’s okay. Actually, I haven’t eaten yet so lunch sounds good.” His gaze fell back to the ground, but he raised it almost immediately. “As long as you’re sure you want to.”

“Course I am.”

The smile you got in return was genuine and showed the tops of his rounded tusks, “Okay, I’ll uh, go grab my keys.”

~~~~~~~

It was close to dark when you left the diner and the strange looks the two of you had gotten inside were nothing compared to the ones you got as you and Nick made your way down the sidewalk. He walked with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and seemed to pay no mind to the disapproval of the passers by.

You knew better though. You had a thought and the beer you weren't supposed to have encouraged you to follow through. So, without warning you stepped closer to Jakoby and laced you arm through his while the other hand rested around the thickest part of his forearm.

He tensed instantly. ‘What are you doing?’

You shrugged, “People are staring.”

“And this is going to stop them?” He looked at where your arms held his but made no move to pull away.

“No, but at least they have no reason to think you’re dragging me along against my will.” You chuckled at your own joke, even bumped against him slightly as the laughter altered your course.

“[Your name]… you shouldn't say things like that.” He let out a heavy sigh, “I don’t want people getting the wrong impression of you because… ‘cause they saw you with an orc… with me.”

You were steps away from the passenger side of his truck now and he reached to open the door for you. Instead you turned him and pushed his back up against the door. “Fuck ‘em. I mean it, fuck em if they don’t like it.”

Nick was caught off guard, so he stayed with his back to the vehicle, let your hand on his rib cage hold him there.

You softened your voice, “Nick, tell me the truth. Do you want this? You and me?”

His ears twitched as he locked his jaw and nodded.

“Okay.” You nodded back and before he had the chance to think or say anything else you kissed him. Much like you had that first morning in your apartment. Part of you hoped he’d understand. You wanted Nick to know you wanted this too and you were done with the runaround. As for the people on the street with their disapproval and holier than thou attitudes you wanted them to see that Nick was not some orc that decided to force himself on you. He was the one pushed up against the car, he was in just as vulnerable of a position as you were. In more ways than one. 

Much like that first kiss it took him a minute to respond, his body and mouth were rigid and his breath was shallow. Then, he once again surrendered and relaxed, pulled you closer to him with his heavy hands and soft grip. After a fair bit of time he sighed and pulled back, his weight sagged against the door of his truck, “Is this really… [Your Name], is this really what you want? I mean, me?”

You stood on your tiptoes, ignored the twinge of pain in your side and tried to focus on the way Nicks pectoral muscles played beneath your fingers as he rubbed his hands up and down the small of your back. Before you could answer you heard a pair of women walk by on the sidewalk. Both of them more than happy to voice their disgust in what they saw. You just laughed, light and airy against Nicks lips. “I’m sure.” you dropped a light kiss on his lips and settled back on flat feet. “Is this what you want.”

His head bowed to follow your lips as you settled back on your feet. With his forehead rested against yours he nodded, pulled you closer with his hands at your back, ‘Very much so.”

You almost giggled as you pressed your lips to his fully. “Good answer.” Another kiss, “So,” Another, longer kiss, “You’re gonna come to Dorghu’s party with me tonight then. Right?”

With a groan Nick dropped his head back against the window.

“C’mon!” You tried not to laugh, “You have to go. From what I gather you guys have some shit to sort out.” When Nick sighed and knocked his head back against the window again you moved your attention and all but wrapped yourself around his right arm that now hung loose at his side. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be right here all night” The muscles in his arm flexed slightly and you couldn't tell if it was on purpose or not.

“Promise?” he finally looked back at you.

“Promise.”

~~~~~~~

“This is a very bad idea.” Nick wrung his hands around the steering wheel as he stared down the street towards what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

“Nick…” You leaned across the console to get his attention. “Nothing bad is going to happen. They’re my friends.” You grab his right hand and pry it from the steering wheel. It relaxes in your grip as you turn it palm up and drag a finger across it. “They’re you’re clan.”

That was what made him look at you finally. He didn't question outright how you knew or how much, but it did seem to convince him.

After you dropped his hand Nick shifted in the seat and pulled the gun and holster from his belt. “Okay, but I still don’t like it.” He leaned across you to open the jockey box, placed his handgun inside and locked it. Before he could settle back in his seat you grabbed a handful of his shirt and stretched to kiss him. Again he relaxed slightly and gave you a small smile, “I’m keeping my badge in my wallet though.”

“Whatever makes you feel better. Ready?” You were excited, so much so that you almost bounced up and down in your seat.

Nick sighed, but nodded. “Yeah. Ready.”

~~~~~~~

You felt a very strange combination of exhilaration and pride. This would be a good night. Two orcs stood on either side of the second inside door and just when you expected to be stopped they both held their fists in front of them with pointer and pinky fingers extended. They nodded, obviously to Jakoby, and pushed the doors open.

Nick tensed and you quickly wrapped your own arm around his back and scratched at the the space between his shoulder blades. As you walked you leaned up to whisper in his ear, “See, family.”

Inside the double doors was the main warehouse space which was currently packed with orcs, humans, you saw a couple of dwarves by a pool table in the far corner, music and lights that overwhelmed the senses and again Nick tensed. You kept your promise and immediately grabbed a hold of Jakobys left arm. To your surprise he pulled his arm free. For a second you panicked but a very different emotion washed over you when he wrapped the arm around your waist and slid his hand into the back pocket of your skinny jeans. A shiver ran the length of your spine and you reflexively pressed yourself against him. Even more so when his hand fidgeted against your ass cheek through the thin denim.

You got as close as you could and looked him straight in the eye, “You’re not a cop right now Nick. You’re just an Orc at a party. At least pretend okay?”

It was stiff but he did give a nod, his eyes immediately drifted a group of young orcs and humans gathered around a hookah on the floor a few feet away.

You followed his line of sight and shook your head, “C’mon, let’s go find Dorghu. Or no, drinks first, then Dorghu.” You grabbed at his shirt and pulled him further into the crowd only to be stopped by your name being called over the roar of the crowd. It was hard to locate but whoever it was had made their way towards you and appeared through the wall of bodies. “Mikey!” You opened your arms to the young orc who gave you a fierce hug.

“Dad said you were coming tonight! Are you feeling better? Are you sure you should be out and around yet?” Mikey yelled over the music as he looked you over.

You had to laugh, orcs always saw humans as so fragile compared to themselves. Not that it wasn't true. An orc that had been shot in the stomach would be discharged from the hospital within twenty-four hours and be back on the street almost as fast. “I’m fine Mikey. Contrary to what everyone believes.” You nodded towards Nick.

Mikey’s face fell and he averted his eyes to the ground. You couldn't tell if it was shame or submission. Before you could intervene Nick extended his hand to the younger orc, left it in the air in front of Mikey’s down turned face.

Slowly, Mikey looked up, his face full of emotion he nodded and took Nicks arm in a Spartan like handshake that ended in one armed hugs and a couple of back slaps that sounded almost painful.

Before they pulled apart you just barely caught Mikey’s, “Thank you.” and you would've sworn you heard an, “I’m sorry.” Too. Nick didn’t say anything just nodded. Mikey looked between the two of you now and his smile returned, “Umm drinks are that way, and Dad is in the back room.” He pointed over the crowd to the far side of the warehouse. “I’ll see you guys later!” And just like that he disappeared back through the crowd.

You turned back to Nick, “Good kid. Ready for drinks?”

Nick just nodded and put a hand on your back to guide you. The two of you only made it another four or five steps before a deeper voice rose over the crowd. It was orcish so you didn’t pay much mind but Nick pulled you to a stop

An orc about Nicks size that wore one of the clan cuts came towards them. He nodded to you but focused on Nick.

Nick tucked you against him with a soft hand while they spoke. You tried to follow the conversation but your command of the language was minimal, the loud music and poor lighting meant you only caught a few words and one name.

After a few exchanges Nick nodded and turned to you. With a quick glance back at the other orc Nick leaned in close, his breath against your ear before he spoke. “Dorghu wants to see me.”

When you looked at him out the corner of your eye he looked uncertain. You leaned in towards his ear, as he had done, “Good! Go, talk.” The doubt was still there so you leaned in again, “I will be fine. I’ll stay out of trouble I promise.” 

He stared into your eyes for a moment before he raised one hand to slip behind your neck and dig into your hair.

You let your eyes slip closed as you waited for him to kiss you. But, he didn't. Your eyes snapped open when you felt him against your neck. His teeth and filed tusks drug across your skin, not hard enough to leave a mark but with just enough pressure you could make out individual teeth from the sensation. It felt as though he rubbed his face up the column of your neck, his nose hooked against the underside of your earlobe and you could hear him sniff as he traced the edge with his blunt nose. When his mouth came to your earlobe and he rolled it between a tusk and his upper teeth you legitimately thought you might fall to the ground. What the hell had gotten into him?

“I’ll be right back. Okay?” He spoke to you again, face to face now, and you were embarrassed that all you could do was nod. You were a writer damn it, words did not fail you!

You watched them disappear into the crowd before you turned and began to weave your way through the party towards the board and sawhorse tables that served as a bar. You grabbed the plastic cup of beer from the small, human girl with pink hair and a half shaved head then turned to scan the crowd. Which was when you saw Tolar as he made his way towards you with a drink in one hand a pretty young orc girl in the other.

He called out to you, **“Hey little girl!”**

You rolled your eyes but smiled at the term of endearment. “Hey brother.”

Tolar let go of the female and wrapped you in a hug that could have caused suffocation if he wasn't careful. He paused mid-embrace, scented the air then lowered his head a little to get a better whiff.

“What? I took a shower, I swear.” You shoved him back as a joke and he played along, took two big stagger steps back. You both laughed, and knew full well you would have to hit him with a one ton truck to actually move him that far. With a smile you angled your body to the female orc, “Hey Nessa.’

“Hey sweetie.” You embraced each other, one of her large hoops tangled in your hair as you pulled away. She untangled it and moved back against Tolar as he slung his massive arm over her shoulder, his hand hung in front of her chest. “When To told me what happened I couldn’t believe it. You’re OK now though? Evidently?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Still a little sore, but I feel better when I’m not just sittin’ around the house all day.” You looked to Tolar, tried your best to convey how grateful you were to him.

He just nodded and winked “C’mon, we got a game goin’ over here. Come sit.” He chuckled when he saw you scan the crowd again, “Don’t worry, little girl, he’ll find you when they’re done.”

~~~~~~~

It wasn't Nick that came and found you but another orc, this one in a jersey and a gold chain, “[Your Name].”

You turned around, careful to still shield your hand of cards from the other players.

“Dorghu says to come say hello.”

You turned to Tolar, across the piece of plywood that doubled as a card table. When he nodded you nodded back. You knew and got along with plenty of clan guys but didn't know them all. Tolar was usually your go to for confirmation. You turned to one of the male orcs that stood behind you, “Wanna play for me while I’m gone?” He agreed so you grabbed your drink and stood up to give him your spot at the table.

You followed the orc that had come to get you through the crowd, around the stage and mosh pit to an enclosed room with one door and a large row of windows that looked out onto the warehouse floor. The door was open and plenty of party goers filed in and out as you got closer. Your guide, as it were, stopped and nodded over his shoulder. “Go inside.”

With a smile you went inside as you were told. The room was actually much larger than it looked from the outside, now that you were inside you realized it must have been some sort of main office or meeting room. Or it used to be or was supposed to be. You saw Dorghu on a couch along a side wall, a woman sat with him. Her back to the arm of the couch and her legs draped over one of Dorghus massive thighs.

When he saw you he waved you over. You had to squeeze and pardon your way through a denser crowd of orcs and furniture to get to him but you accomplished the feat without any real trouble. Once you arrived in front of him you gave him a somewhat weak smile.

Dorghu nodded, “Glad you could make it. How are you feeling?” His eyes dropped to where he knew you had been shot.

With a dry chuckle you held up your nearly empty cup of beer, your second actually, “Feel pretty good at the moment.”

Both he and his friend, you had seen her before but weren't sure you actually knew her, laughed a little. “Good.” He looked to the friend and shifted his arm that had been under her back so that he could easily pick her up and set her up and on his knee. **“Leave us, Love. Go grab some drinks.”** As he spoke he rutted his face against her collar bone. It made her let out a soft hiss through her gritted teeth and then a rather dirty giggle escaped. As she stood to leave Dorghu let his hand slide down her back and then over the curve of her ass as she walked out from between his legs and towards the door.

You watched and tried not to at the same time. Orcs, you well knew, were pretty unabashed when it came to what they did and in front of who. But, that just then, what Dorghu had done, that had set some of your mental gears in motion.

“Sit.” He hefted himself towards the armrest the woman had vacated, so that you had room to sit. As you did he looked you over once, “You look good. Feel good?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, “Good as I can, I guess. Still hurts. Still a little surreal.” You fought to keep your eyes on him but they wandered the room anyway.

The clan leader across from you chortled, “He’s not in here. Don’t worry, he’s still in one piece.”

You shook your head at your own conflicted emotions. “I uh, I don’t know the whole history there… but I hope you guys worked whatever it was out.”

Dorghu nodded, his nostrils flared for a second, and then again. His eyes settled on you sharper than before. “I’m sure you have some questions too.” He scented the air again, the third time apparently told him what he needed to know.

“Yeah, you know what I do. First of all, why the fuck does everyone keep smelling me like I’m a goddamned pine tree air freshener?” You clamped you own mouth closed as soon as the words left your mouth, but it was too late. Your mouth had literally almost cost you your life once already and now here you were about to put yourself in even worse danger. A person, a human, a woman, did not mouth off to a clan leader.

But, apparently you could.

Dorghu burst into a hearty fit of laughter and it honestly scared you more than if he had roared in your face. You had met with Dorghu countless times since you had moved to LA, and always on good, even friendly terms. But… You had never, ever heard him laugh.

“What? I’m serious, what the hell is wrong with me that all the guys feel the need to sniff me if I come within arms reach?”

As his laughter died down and the few onlookers went back to what they had been doing, Dorghu shifted an inch closer to you, a strange smile on his face. “You smell like him.”

That was super helpful. “What do you mean?”

Dorghu chuckled again, “Jakoby, you smell like Jakoby.”

“Ok… Well, I rode over here with him in his truck and walked in with him so… makes sense.”

Again he chuckled, even shook his head. “Not what I mean.” He had this strange look on his face, like he was about to explain something very complicated to a young child. “You’re a young, attractive, human female that’s been coming to our parties for quite awhile now.”

You nodded, still lost.

“And none of my guys tried anything because I told them you were off limits. So, nobody else tried anything because they told anyone else that might try something, that you were off limits.”

“Ok….” Learn something new every day but you were still confused.

He chuckled again, “Well, now you’re off limits for… a different reason.”

You sat and fought to connect the dots. Your eyes flicked to the door where the attractive brunette from before, bottle of vodka in hand, had returned and had been pulled into a conversation. The orcs around her laughed, smiled, carried on but they all kept a respectful distance. A couple of the males even glanced Dorghu’s way, not nervous but wary.

That’s when the dots connected and your mouth fell open, “Oh…Oh!” You and Nick had kissed, touched each other, the way he had wanted to keep his hands on you from the moment you walked through the doors, it made sense. Your hand drifted to your neck, absentmindedly felt for marks you knew weren't there. Not physically anyway. “Does that cause problems?”

Across from you Dorghu chuckled some more, “No, some rules even we won’t break.”

You nodded. Honor among thieves did not do justice to the honor and loyalty those of the same clan blood showed each other. “So Nick, technically he’s one of your guys now right? I’m not off limits to him?”

Dorghu had told you once, that his second favorite thing about you was that you refused to leave anything only half answered. He liked that you always had to know where you stood. For a moment he was quite, even stopped to drink from his own beer. “I watched him defy me, beaten and bloody until the very end and never weaken. I watched him go into a burning building, risk his own life, for a man that showed him no real respect, no love, no loyalty.” Here he pointed at you with that hand that rested along the back of the couch, “And then I watched him risk the most important thing in his life, to save yours.” Dorghu nodded a few deep, somber nods, “An orc like that, a great orc, deserves a mate, a woman like you. Every motherfucker in this place will respect that, and if they don’t I’ll beat their heads in myself.”

Unable to speak or move you just stared back at him. This was not how you imagined the meeting would go.

He must have sensed your complete loss because he reached out and grabbed your shoulder with a dinner plate sized hand. “You’re family, I told you that a long time ago.” He dropped his forehead against yours and you leaned into it, you understood the gesture. “He’s out with Tolar.” Dorghu sat back, “Go home, you two have lots to talk about.”

Again, and slightly out of character, you did as you were told and went back to the warehouse floor. Unsure of really where to go you just headed back towards where you had left the card game. Which is right where you found Nick, where he stood next to Tolar, mid conversation. “Hey. There you are.” Nick turned towards you with a smile, more relaxed now than when he had first got there.

With the courage you had re-claimed on your way back you walked right up to him, hooked your fingers in the front pockets of his jeans and stretched to whisper in his ear, “Let’s go home.”

His hands hovered near your elbows as he leaned back slightly and stammered over his words, “Are, are you sure? We haven’t been here all that long and…”

“I’m sure, take me home.” You tugged at his pockets again.

“Uh yeah, sure, ok.” He glanced around once and then stepped back to let you pass before he followed. Behind you Tolar said something in Orcish you didn’t understand but Jakoby did, his hand on your back flexed as he guided you towards the door.

Outside he carefully pulled you to a stop with his hand around your wrist, “Hey, are you okay? Is something wrong?” His eyes searched you over.

“I’m fine Nick.” You used his hold on you to pull him closer, unsure if he would kiss you or not but you wanted to try.

He did not disappoint, but the kiss was quick and he went right back to his search for what was wrong. “Okay, are you sure? Because..”

“Nick.” You chuckled slightly and widened your eyes in attempt to show him that you were indeed fine. “Just ready to go home.”

“Oh… OK, then let’s get you home.”

~~~~~~~

You weren't surprised Nick insisted that he walk you to your apartment, the fact that he asked if you wanted him to make sure there was nobody inside might have been a little much but it worked in your favor so you invited him in.

While he looked around your apartment you kicked your boots off and grabbed a bottle of water from your fridge. Just a moment later he came back out of the small hallway and you raised an eyebrow, “So, nobody gonna jump out and kill me in my sleep?”

“No! No, not in here anyway.” He came up to stand across the counter from you. 

For several minutes you both just stood in silence until you figured out how you wanted to ask the question, “What did you and Dorghu talk about?”

He remained quiet and looked everywhere except for your face.

“Nick, will you tell me what happened? Before, with the clan, officer Ward, the wand that may or may not exist… Please?”

Finally he looked at you, his eyes even brighter in the dim light of your still mostly dark apartment. He didn't answer though.

You let out a long sigh and walked around to stand next to him. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” You walked back to your bedroom, grabbed three picture frames from your dresser and returned to the kitchen. In front of him you sat on one of your bar stools, the three picture frames stacked in your lap. “I know you've never asked, but pretty much everyone wonders.” You turned over the first picture, “Everyone always wants to know, why I’m so…pro-orc, This is my little brother Jackson and his battle buddy just before they finished basic last month.” You handed him the photo. “This one is my older brother Alex and part of his company, he’s on his second tour in Iraq.” You handed him the second picture. “And this is uh, this is my Dad and my Godfather. They um… they served in Desert Storm together, he saved my Dad’s life once, when their convoy got ambushed” You handed him the final picture, your fingers lingered longer on that one.

He stared at the pictures he held, one at a time. He looked at your brothers, noticed the strong resemblance. He looked at your father, a strong, hard man back in his prime. Nick also looked at the reasons you had shown him these pictures. Your younger brothers ‘battle buddy’ was a young orc with pale green skin that almost matched his fatigues Your older brother stood in a group of about a dozen soldiers posed in front of two parked MRAPs, more than half of them were orcs. The solider in the picture with your father, a heavy set orc. Both of them had a rifle on their hip and a cigarette in their mouth.

“We aren't all raised the same way Nick. We don’t all grow up believing that orcs are anything less than we are.”

The look on his face changed and he turned to face you instead of the counter. He didn't speak yet though, just stared and you let him. Eventually he leaned forward to rest his forehead against yours.

You closed your eyes and embraced the weight of it, found it comforted you in a strange way. “I’m not asking you to tell me as a reporter Nick, I’m asking because I care, but I won’t make you tell me if you don’t want to.” For several minutes you sat there, with nick stood in front of you, temples pressed together.

His voice was quiet, “Can I kiss you again?”

“Nick,” You breathed out a soft chuckle, “We’re past you having to ask permission.”

“Ok…” He tipped your chin up so he could reach you better and slid his lips over yours a few times. “You trust me.”

It didn't sound like a statement or a question but you nodded and said, “Of course I do.”

To your surprise he moved one of his hands to your waist, slid it inside your jacket and under your shirt. Your breath caught when the rough pads of his fingers ghosted over your hip and your lungs stopped functions completely when his thumb just barely slid over the still raw and puckered scar on your side.

His breath changed when yours did, “Are you okay?” Again you nodded. “Okay.” He then pulled his hand away from your side. With his eyes locked on yours he took a deep breath, his nostrils flared and ears twitched, then with one hand he untucked his shirt and with the other he grabbed your own hand. Eyes still locked on yours he stretched the front of his t-shirt forward, away from his body and pulled your hand, still slow and careful, towards him.

Completely lost and somewhat shocked you just went along with it as he pulled your hand up under his shirt and laid it against the middle of his chest. Still confused, you let your hand settle against his firm chest until he guided two of your fingers a little lower and they grazed over a distinctive, round scar. On reflex you hand flinched away and Jakoby dropped your hand and took a step back. Without thought you moved forward and reached to run your fingers over the scar again, this time through his shirt. “What happened?”

Nick took a deep breath, a little shaky, “It’s a long story.”

You grabbed his hand and gave it a tug, “Good.” You pulled him towards the couch, flipped a lamp on as you walked by, “I like long stories.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!!! NSFW!

Chapter Six

The clock on your stove read 3:38 by the time Jakoby was done with his story. You had settled into the couch as comfortably as you could. You faced Nick, legs criss crossed, one arm braced against the back of the couch to hold your head up.

Nick sat normally, hands clasped in his lap, back straight, head bowed.

“Jesus Nick, I…Jesus…” How else were you supposed to react to the news that the person next to you on your couch was technically supposed to be dead. “Shit…” You reached out to rest your hand on his leg but froze. “Shit I really don’t know what to say.”

He nodded and looked over at you, “It’s okay. I uh, it felt good to tell somebody. You know, we, we couldn’t tell what really happened, and, and it’s… shitty.” He forced a dry, snort of laughter.

“So… you and Dorghu… I mean, are you guys… good? Now?” You dropped your hand back in your own lap.

“Yeah, yeah it’s fine.” He looked at you with a sad smile, also forced.

“Nick, fuck, I mean you… he fucking killed you, and then you went to him for help to, to rescue me…I, can’t imagine… any of it. And I’ve got a pretty active imagination, just sayin’.”

That got an almost real chuckle out of him. “Oh, it’s okay.” He looked at you, longer this time with a smile that showed the tops of his rounded tusks. “It was worth it.”

Braver now, your heart pounded in your chest, you reached your hand out again. This time to his face. You cupped your hand low under his jaw and swiped your thumb across his chin, mesmerized by the bulge where what was left of his tusks stood out. “You could’ve lost your job.”

His eyes had drifted closed as you rolled your thumb back and forth over the flesh of his bottom lip, the motion slid his thick and speckled skin over his own filed tusks and his head swayed slightly with the motion. He opened his eyes eventually, “I wouldn’t deserve to be a cop if I hadn’t done something to try and help you.”

You smiled as you thought of what Dorghu had said earlier. Nick deserved so much more than the world had allowed him so far. You stilled your hand so that your thumb came to rest against that bulge of tusk, “Nick, can I kiss you?”

He laughed a little and nodded against your hand, “Yes, if you want to, any time you want to.”

The two of you laughed together and you decided this was an all in or all out kind of moment. So, this time when you kissed him you pushed your mouth hard against his and with little to no warning unfolded your legs so that you could crawl to straddle his lap. At first his whole body tensed, his hands jumped to hold you off of him, his head pushed back into the couch. “[Your Name] you don’t…”

“At the party tonight,” You cut him off, “You did something.” You ducked your head to his neck and drug your teeth, open mouthed to his earlobe where you rolled the lobe between your teeth. The top of his ear fluttered against your eyelashes and his grip on your thighs doubled. When you pulled back you grinned and stared him straight in the eye, “Explain.”

Nicks eyes darted around, his head followed, “I… I’m sorry [Your Name], I really shouldn’t have done that, I just…”

“Don’t apologize,” You gently pried apart his fingers so that you could actually sit astride his lap, “Just tell me why.”

He kept his hands on your thighs, grip still tight but no longer to try and hold you away from him, “I..” Nick let out a sigh, long and ashamed, “I was trying to keep the other orcs away from you. The male orcs, I didn’t want you to get…”

“How does that keep them away from me?

“Well, not away but from, getting any wrong ideas, I guess.” His words were choppy and nervous.

“Dorghu said it made me off limits.” You steadied yourself with your hands on his shoulders as he shifted slightly beneath you, “it’s like what? Marking your territory?”

Nick let his head drop, chin bounced against his chest, “I’m sorry, [Your Name] I shouldn't have done that. You’re…”

“So that is what it means? But, you didn’t mean it? You don’t want me?”

His eyes snapped back up to yours, “What? No! I mean, yes, of course I want you, I mean you’re… But I’m just a…”

“You’re a great orc Nick…” You let the sentence fade off, decided to let Jakoby decide where to go from there. You liked his decision very much.

With a low rumble in the back of his throat he dropped his forehead against yours, inhaled and exhaled deeply and then looked at you. After a short pause he stretched up to steal your lips again.

All the tension left your body and you hummed against his lips, settled yourself heavier in his lap. It felt good to relax for the first time in what felt like a very long time. His body was solid, his grip firm, it felt good.

Eventually his hold on you tightened, a little at first until he had his arms wrapped around you, pressed you against him, so tightly that the air you could get through your nose wasn’t enough. He let you pull back and catch your breath but he didn’t loosen his arms at all. He pulled in a few deep breaths of his own, one that flared his nostrils, which must have been a mistake. His eyes rolled closed and his fingertips dug into your back as he dropped his head back against your couch. His voice was rough and uneven, “I should uh, probably let you get some sleep.”

You chuckled against his ear, rubbed your teeth back and forth over his earlobe again. “Not tired.”

Nick groaned and used his temple to push you away, “[Your Name]… I, I’m scared I’m gonna hurt you.” One of his hands slid around to rest on your hip, just below your new scar.

“I’m not.” You grabbed his hand and slid it up over the still tender flesh, up your side and with a bit of a grin brought it to your chest.

His fingers flexed under yours but stopped with a flinch and settled back on your waist.

With a sigh you leaned down for another kiss, “Something wrong Nick?”

He mumbled something in Orcish you didn’t understand. Then he looked back up at you, with a heavy sigh. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone.” His eyes drifted down to where his hand rested on your thigh, “Never been with, with a, you know?”

“Yeah I know.” You tipped his face back up to yours, “We aren’t that scary, I promise.”

He chuckled again, relaxed a little with a heavy sigh. Nick ran his hands up your back, amber eyes stared into yours intently.

You weren’t sure what he was looking for so you just let him stare. Eventually a small smile crossed his face and you leaned down to kiss him again. You smiled against his lips when one of his blunted tusks rubbed the corner of your mouth. On impulse you leaned into him further, your hands fisted in his shirt.

Without warning his hands slid under you as he stood up, moved your legs to wrap around his waist. You gasped a little in surprise, your mouth fell from his but not for long, for fear he might change his mind just as suddenly.

Even in the poorly lit apartment, his steps were sure and steady, his hold on you rock solid. Inside your bedroom he set you down on your feet carefully. He pulled back for a second, helped you out of your jacket then leaned his forehead against yours, “Are you sure?”

You couldn’t help but groan a little, “Very sure.” You turned him around and pushed him back back towards the bed until he hit the back of his knees against the mattress and sat with a hefty bounce. His hands returned to your back as you stepped between his legs and wrapped your hands around the back of his neck, “Very sure.” You repeated yourself.

When you leaned into him this time he pulled you in further. His hands slid down your back, around you your waist and over the sides of your hips. He looked at you intently as he moved his hands down your thighs and wrapped them around the back of your knees. Nick gave a gentle, hesitant tug and his stare wavered a little when you didn’t move. At least not the way he had intended.

Instead you took your hands from his shoulders and grabbed the bottom hem of your t-shirt to pull it up over your head. You smiled when, even in the dark, you saw his eyes widen and his ears twitch rapidly. His hands didn’t move from the back of your knees, but his eyes followed your hands as you moved them to the button and zipper of your jeans. He watched intently as the button popped free and the zipper slid down, his ears fluttered again at the sound. His hands don’t move until you had slid the jeans down over your hips and to your knees. He stared at his own hands now, they shook, barely noticeable, until you put your hands back on his shoulders. 

His grip once again solid he helped you to step out of them and his eyes stayed focused on the ground until you tipped his chin up to kiss him. You kept it soft and slow, ‘give him time’ you thought to yourself. With each pass of your lips his pushed back harder, his hands fidgeted more, his breaths came heavier.

You were a mess but did your best to hold it together, and you did a pretty good job of it until you heard him inhale deeply and his hands again tugged at the back of your knees. This time you let them pull you, back into his lap. As soon as you settled his hands clawed at your back, pressed you closer to him. His nose pressed into the hollow of your throat and you felt his inhale even more than you heard it. The growl and the nip at your collar bone had you moaning again and you were overcome with a sudden urge to grind down against him.

He was hard. He was hard and you could feel it through his jeans, you couldn’t help but do it again. Your hands clamped around the back of his neck and you rocked your hips again.

Your eyes were closed and suddenly the world dropped out from under you as Nick muttered something in Orcish, moved and by the time you opened your eyes he had you laid back across your bed at an odd angle. There was a fleeting moment, as he hovered over you, where you reminded yourself how much bigger and heavier he was than you. You didn’t care though. You grabbed at the bottom of his shirt, pulled and tugged at it until his own hand stopped you.

“[Your Name], you - you really shouldn't…” He stopped for a few seconds when you had grabbed his lips with your own but did pull away again. His eyes were blown wide and his nostrils flared with every breath. His jaw worked and his lips twitched while he fought out the words, “I can’t, I won’t be able to keep… “ Apparently he couldn’t think straight with your hands at work on his belt and jeans. He, you assumed, cursed in Orcish and snarled a bit as he grabbed both your hands in one of his and locked them in place over your own stomach. He dropped his head against the comforter just over your shoulder and his words were hot against your neck. “I won’t be able to control myself.”

Even just those words sent your body aching more, again, worse. There was no doubt in your mind that Nick was probably the best guy in the world. You wanted more breakfast dates, coffee, stupid conversations, bad movies on the couch, cuddling, you knew he had to be the best cuddler too, and he would protect you, cook for you, drive you to work. But just then you didn’t want any of those things, not yet anyway.

You rolled your head to the side, wrapped one leg around his waist and moaned right into his ear. “Good. I don’t want you to.” His belt clanked as you pulled his hips down to yours and when his hips bucked, grinding against yours you let your head fall back, “Please, Nick.”

His hand let yours go so that he could steady himself, thick fingers fisted in the blankets, and you took the opportunity to pull at his shirt again. He settled his weight onto you more and you gasped as it pushed the air from your lungs. Then his hips rocked against yours again, a strangely satisfying combination of him and his half opened jeans rubbed against you through your soaked panties. He drug his rounded tusks up your jawline and spoke into your ear, his voice hoarse like someone who had smoked cigarettes their entire life, shaky like he couldn’t breath, “Say that again.”

Your nails clawed at his back, his skin thick and tough under your fingers, “I’ll say it a lot if you would just take your fucking pants off.” You were a little surprised that when you pulled at his shirt this time he leaned back and shrugged out of it. The only downside was that he was no longer pressed against you. The sight of him knelt on your bed, between your legs, shirtless and undoing the last of his zipper was enough to make up for it. You too sat up, fought your way out of your bra and panties. Just before you laid back down you watched him shove his jeans and shorts over his hips and you became extremely impatient.

With both hands you grabbed the back of his head, smashed your mouth to his and fell back onto the bed, and pulled him down with you. He caught himself on his elbows, careful not to crush you completely but still pushed you down into the mattress with his weight.

It only took a few minutes until you were both panting, grinding against each other. He took one hand out from under you to shove his own pants down further and when your feet moved to help him his other hand fisted in your hair under your head.

You felt him against your leg soon enough and within seconds he slid the entire length of his cock over your wet clit. Your whole body arched off the bed and up against him with a shudder and he repeated the motion, a little unsteady this time. Your eyes wide and your mouth open you whined, “Ok, please, please Nick.” You trailed off into sounds that weren’t words but he didn’t listen right away.

His arm under your head shook under his weight as he leaned his forehead against yours, “Promise, you’ll - you’ll tell me if it, if I…”

“Yep, mhmm, just… “ You knew what he meant, your nails still dug and scraped at his lower back. There was a reason you couldn’t look at that part of him just yet, didn’t reach for it, you were worried you might scare yourself out of it. Instead you angled your hips up against his, just in time for the head to drag through your dripping pussy and you both flinched at the sensation. An unplanned whisper, “Please…” is what sent the last of his control crashing down.

He sllid himself into you, but stopped part way as your entire body tensed, “Shit, [Your Name].” Nick began to pull back but you wrapped your legs around his waist and locked him in place.

“No, no just,” You blew a long breath out through pursed lips, “Just give me second.” The longer he stayed there the more you felt your body fight, and the more you began to worry. Then Nick sighed into your ear and you felt him relax some above you. His mouth against that spot behind your ear he liked so much, the rounded tops of his tusks rubbed against the tight cords in your neck and with a shudder you too went limp. The stretch of your pussy was no longer uncomfortable, only tight, “Hmmm, more.” You sighed into his shoulder and he obliged.

The muscles in his back rippled under your hands as he eased himself further into you. His mouth closed over your ear lobe as he let out a long breath of his own. It sent a shiver down your back and your muscles clenched around him. Unable to control his reaction he jerked his hips forward and suddenly his cock bottomed out against your innermost walls.

You both cursed at once, both sounded more like an uninhibited groan, his much larger hands gripped you by the waist and the back of your neck.

Your body felt as though it was vibrating, apparently it had found what it needed and now you needed more. 

Slowly, he withdrew. He stilled your hips with easy pressure from his hand until he had slid all the way out. “Are you okay?” He raised his head to press his forehead to yours.  
You could see him as he tried to read your eyes but you couldn’t keep them open. All you could do was bite your lip and nod. A low, soft growl rolled through his chest as he slid his lips over yours, “More?”

With a chuckle you pulled back far enough to nod your head quickly, “Mhmm.” Again he slid himself into you and this time watched your face as you reacted to having him back inside you.

There was no pain this time, you felt stretched, on edge but in the most fantastic way. You felt him slide a knee up further on the bed and out of nowhere colors radiated behind your eyelids as he hit a nearly perfect angle inside you and against your clit. You gasped through a smile and pressed your chest up into his, one hand fell to the mattress and grabbed at the blankets.

He went from those first few slow pumps to nearly out of control in the blink of an eye and for a split second you saw what he had worried about. His grip on you was like steel, his teeth had already worked your neck raw and your hips were already sore from spreading wide to fit his extreme frame.

It hurt, but it was a hurt that had you throwing your hips up against his, one hand clutching at the blankets and the other clawing at the wall behind your head. Your mouth hung open, releasing sounds you should be ashamed of, including what felt like snarls each time you had to try and readjust yourself under him so his pubic bone would hit your clit in that one particular way. That one. That way that sent a wave of warm sparks through your entire body and arched you off the bed like an electric shock.

You were so focused on trying not to hyperventilate that you missed the words between his raw grunts and growls into your neck. He pulled back to look at you, fought to slow himself down, only enough to speak. He gasped for air, his teeth bared like an animal when he spoke, “Fuck [Your Name], we need to, I’m going to…”

His eyes snapped open in shock when you growled back at him and then flopped back against the mattress, your body rolled, your hips, stomach and chest came back into contact with his. “Good, it’s fine. It’s fine, just - don’t stop, please, Nick, don’t stop.”

He squeezed your hip in his hand, hard like he was using it to anchor himself, “Are you sure?”

“Ugh, yes, miracles of modern medicine.” You jerked your hips against his and moaned at the sensation your body was missing already. When you stretched up to pull him to you and into a kiss he picked up his pace again and was soon enough slamming his cock back where it belonged. Your moans grew louder, your hips opened wider, knees fell back almost to the mattress and you couldn’t stop the rhythmic jerk of your hips as he hit all the best places at once.

The two of you pulled apart, gasped for air as you felt yourself begin to fall apart. You were so close until he slid his one hand up over your ribs and over your breast, his thumb drug roughly across your nipple was all it took to send you over the edge and at the last second you sank your teeth into his shoulder. You weren’t a screamer but the sensation of your body coming undone and then the sporadic jerk of his hips and primal growl as he came apart with you, oblivious to the pain in his shoulder, it was all too much.

You couldn’t catch your breath and eventually Nick picked himself up, out and off of you. The loss was maddening but you chuckled a little when you realized you could in fact breath again. Out the corner of your eye you looked at him, sprawled out on your bed, legs at odd angles and arms crossed above his head. His chest heaved, his stomach stretched tight and a muscle in his thigh still twitched occasionally as his body tried to relax.

Once you had quit shaking you rolled onto your side and slowly onto your stomach. You found the dampness between your legs oddly enjoyable and stretched your back once before you propped yourself up on your elbows.

His eyes were closed, but after a second his nostrils flared and he opened his eyes enough to see you in the dark. “Are you okay?” He brought one hand down from over his head to wrap around the back of your neck, his thumb rubbed against the soft spot behind your ear.

Your own heavy eyes slid closed and you leaned into his hand. With a smile you nodded and let out an exaggerated hum, “Fantastic.” You forced your eyes back open and crawled closer. “Are you a cuddler?” You didn’t wait for his answer as you stretched yourself out along his side.

His hand fell back to the bed for a moment, “I don’t know. Why?”

You chuckled and reached back for his arm to wrap it around yourself as you hitched your leg over his. “Never mind.” You let your hand rest on his chest, which rose and fell steadier now, and rubbed a thumb over the puckered scar in the middle of his chest.

You jerked awake from a half-sleep when he spoke a few moments later. “Is this cuddling?” You couldn’t form words so you just nodded and hummed against his chest. You heard his own head shuffle against your pillows and he pulled you tighter against him. “Then yes, I’m definitely a cuddler.” Now every part of your body hurt including your cheeks, and the last thought you remembered for certain was wondering if you had ever felt so relaxed before.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You sat up in bed carefully, as was your habit now, and padded out into your kitchen to start your coffee maker. The newspaper from the day after your rescue was still there, on the counter, but this time you grabbed it and tossed it in the trash with a smile on your face.

The coffee maker had just started to hiss and drip when there was a knock at your door that made you jump, then grab at your side in pain from the unexpected motion. Through gritted teeth you cursed whoever had the nerve to knock on your door at… one in the afternoon. Still, it had been a long night, so rude.

A glance through the peephole revealed someone you did not expect to see. You looked down at your clothing choice, not exactly guest appropriate but the shirt covered all the important bits so you undid the deadbolt and opened the door. “Hello officer, what can I do for you?

Officer Ward nodded, “Sorry to bother you Miss [Your Last Name] but I’m having a hard time reaching my partner. I’m … sure you’ve heard that my partner, officer Jakoby has been suspended after your… incident. And, well, I was wondering if you had heard from him recently?”

You looked to the floor and studied your bare feet for a second in an effort to come up with your answer. But, you didn’t have to.

“Ward. What are you doing here?” Nick came out of the hallway to your bedroom, and it looked like he had just finished the zipper and button on his jeans. He apparently had not found his shirt though.

Officer Ward stared, slack jawed, as Jakoby made his way through the kitchen. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Oh well, I was sleeping but I heard the knock on the door and it woke me up.”

“Where the fuck is your shirt?” Ward had yet to close his mouth all the way and his gaze bounced from Nick in front of him to you, where you had retreated to the kitchen to poor your first cup of coffee.

Nick rested a hand against his chest for a second, “Oh, I couldn’t find it. Is everything ok? Why are you here?” There was genuine concern in his voice.

“My partner was suspended and I hadn’t heard from him in a few days so I got worried, went looking for him.”

“Oh, I’m fine, you didn’t have to worry. I come back to work Monday.” Nick nodded excitedly, the tops of his tusks showed through as he smiled.

“Yeah, uh okay…so, you’re good?”

“Yeah I’m good. Are you good?”

Ward faltered for a moment, “I don’t know to tell ya the truth, but yeah, glad you’re okay. I’ll see you Monday i guess.”

“Okay, see ya partner. Tell your girls hi for me!” Nick called after Daryl down the hall before he closed the apartment door and locked it. He turned to look at you and furrowed his brow when he saw the look on your face. “What?”

You took a sip of your coffee, “You couldn’t take a minute and throw a shirt on?” You nodded to his bare top half with it’s exposed muscles and eclectically splattered skin.

“I tried.” He walked your way, large bare feet thudded across the floor, “But I couldn’t find it.” Now in front of you he tugged at the front of his t-shirt which you currently wore.  
“Hmm. You’re partner looked like he might be scarred for life.”

He chuckled as he picked you up and sat you on your kitchen counter, without a drop of coffee spilled from your mug. “He’s probably just jealous.” His hand lifted the shirt high enough up your side to check your injury, “I think he’s lacking in physical affection.” When you laughed his ears fluttered and he leaned forward to rest against your forehead, “What time were you supposed to be at work?”

You rubbed your fingers in circles at the back of his neck, where his spine met his skull, and he sighed into the air between you. “Wasn't planning on going in today anyway.”

Nick leaned down and rested his face against your neck. His hands spread your knees apart, carefully so not to stretch your wound that was still far from healed, so he could stand between them with his hips leaned against the counter.

While his lips and teeth worked their way down your neck you sat your mug down on the counter behind you and settled both hands on the back of his neck. “Hmmm…” You let your eyes fall closed for a moment until he pulled back.

“I’m sorry I did that.” He had the collar of his shirt stretched open to reveal the rest of the bruise that already took up most of your neck.

You let out a chuckle and let your hands slide down over his chest and shoulders, then around to the middle of his back. “Don’t worry about it. You’d look ten times worse if your skin wasn’t so friggin’ tough.” You dug your point in quite literally when you drug your nails down his back with not even a tinge of red skin to show for it.

The action sent his own hands to grab at the skin of your thighs and his mouth to crush back against yours. He pulled away too soon and you nearly protest until you saw the look on his face.

Nicks hand held up the shirt again and looked at the red and bruised area around your bullet wound, “I won’t let you get hurt again, [Your Name], I promise.”

You gave him a soft smile, “I know Nick, I’m not worried.”

Eventually you moved him aside so you could hop off your counter and grab your coffee cup. He watched as you walked out of the kitchen, across the living room and down the hall, “Hey, where are you going?”

Over your shoulder you answered, “Take a shower.”

Nick nodded, that made sense, “Oh, okay.” He paused and looked down at himself, “Can I have my shirt back?”

You knew he would hear you laugh even from the bathroom door but you couldn’t help it.

When his t-shirt landed on the floor at the end of the hall Nick looked confused for a second as he walked over to pick it up. His nostrils flared again, his ears gave an involuntary flutter, he caught a hint of something but it took him a minute to realize it wasn’t coming from his t-shirt she had put on, or even the bed they had shared last night. He smiled when the shower turned on and tossed the shirt on the bed as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all so much for reading and for all the feedback, it quite often made my day! 
> 
> If you enjoyed this you may be interested to know that there will be some crossover in my other story Dark Side of Me so be sure to check that out!


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